Abstract

This book is an anthology of various approaches to the dream and its significance, from neurophysiological, anthropological, religious, sociological, and psychological points of view. Articles in it range from extremely technical and sophisticated to rather nebulous and rambling. The phenomenon of dreaming has long perplexed man. Various approaches to it have been attempted, from the occult interpretation of dreams as signifying and portending future events, to the psychoanalytical interpretation as representing, in part, past occurrences in the life history of the dreamer, to the neurophysiological investigations which correlate the electrical events of the present dream-state with other physiological and neural changes. All of the above approaches are represented in this volume. In addition, this book covers a wide spectrum of contemporary research into this problem. While not sufficiently comprehensive coverage is given to any particular aspect of dream research, it serves as a general guide to present avenues of dream investigations. Most of the essays contained therein are not too technical for the interested lay reader to comprehend.—L. P. K.