Dreams Essay, Research Paper

DREAMS

Dreams are an essential part of our lives. It is the most important part of the sleep that people need in order to function. In order to understand dreams, one must understand the importance and function of dreams and the different theories surrounding dreams. I have several thoughts and opinions on the widely popularized theories, as well as well as ideas of my own.

A comprehension of dreams can better be understood by the different theories surrounding why we dream. There are three different hypotheses about why we dream. The first has to do with reorganization. It is based on the fact that we use up the brain s chemicals during the day when we solve problems and are exposed to difficult mental conditions. So during the night, while we sleep, the brain makes us dream so that, in the background, it can restore the brain s chemicals to their normal working level. We must dream to keep problems out while are brain is recharging (McMahon, Mcmahon, & Romano, 1995.)

The second theory contests that we dream in order to solve problems created during the day. During the day we create problems for ourselves. After a good night s sleep full of dreams, we sometimes wake up and the solution is obvious (McMahon et al., 1995.) This idea can be argued against based on the fact that there is no proof that dreams themselves cause the solutions to appear. Allowing ample to time to think and taking your mind off the problem would cause the same results.

The third and final hypothesis could have possibly come from our use of computers. During the day, we gather a lot of unnecessary and useless amount of information. While we sleep, this information is being cleaned up and subsequently read by the brain. During this process, the brain tries to make sense out of these bits of data, so the brain strings together a story using them. This explains why our dreams are very abstract and do not make a lot of sense most of the time (McMahon et al., 1995.) All three of theories are believed by a large audience throughout the psychological community.

In conclusion, dreams make up an essential part of our lives. They bring us surprise and pleasure in our life. Although many theories try to explain theories, dreams mean different things to different people and can not be explained in any kind of scientific manner. They are truly something we can not understand yet.