Page:The International Journal of Psycho-Analysis II 1921 1.djvu/121

 DREAM INTERPRETATION 113

the result of which may become plain to us by analysis of dreams or other phenomena (23, S. 430 Note).

This assertion is thus "not a novel one, as to the characteristics of the unconscious activity to which the latent dream thoughts belong, nor yet an exhaustive statement, for the unconscious activity concerns itself with much else besides preparedness for the future" (21, S. 267).

The distortion of Freud's wish-tlieory lately put forward by Silberer (74) seems to rest on the consideration of this comprehen- sive content of the latent dream thought. He states that he is unable to identify himself with a theory that is exclusively a wish- theory (S. 50). It may indeed be "that the phantasy-existence of men enters into all emotions (and emotion is the unconditional prerequisite of the dream). But the question is whether the persistent concentration of the observer on this aspect permits the emergence of the most characteristic, the most important, the leading motif. While fully agreeing widi the theory of the concealed wishes and their appearance in unrecognisable forms, I nevertheless feel that I must subscribe to a more general formula — and say: the stimulus giving rise to the dream is ^n emotional factor of kigk coefficient^ which with its pleasure and painful colouring stirs our interest to wakefuhiess, and takes us through joyful expectation, admiring self- complacency, anxious fears, uneasy reflections, bitter accusations, or into some other inward state animated by the emotional affect Usually several factors i at once take part in the dream" (S. 63).

We find here the same entire misconception of the dream-theory that Silberer — in spite of many valuable contributions to the science of dreams — shares with most readers of the "Traumdeutung". The dream may be a warning, a scheme, a preparation and so on, in so far as attention is paid only to the ideas appearing in it: "it is also always the fulfilment of an unconscious wish, and it is that and that alone, considered as the result of the dream-making elaboration. A dream is thus never simply a plan, a warning, but always a plan or the like translated with the help of an unconscious wish into the archaic method of expression and transformed in the direction of the fulfilment of these wishes. The one character, that of wish- fulfilment, is the constant: the other is capable of variation, it may be on its own part a wish, so that the dream represents a

» The italics are the author's.

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