Animal dreams

[EmpNapoleon]

...it's more like a mixture of primal fear and the zoo.

I agree.  Or primal fear, the zoo, tv, stuffed animals, mascots, halloween costumes, etc.

If animal dreams represent primal fear, then all dreams stem from a primal human condition.  Therefore, Herzog's dreams not for publication come from primal sex, power, or the opposite of fear.  We're just repetitions.  This is too mechanical for me.

I rather look to the future than to the past for interpreting dreams, since my dreams always seem to predict the future with unbelievable precision.  This may be my conscious or unconscious intent, though.

[Renfield]

Just noting that there is a clear enough distinction between actual psychology and what is often known, especially in an internet context, as theory-craft. Otherwise, everyone would be a celebrated psychologist; yet a few real ones do stand out. Please, let us maintain that distinction before we agree, disagree or postulate on psychological facts of any sort.

If not, I'd rather see this discussion happen with real citations, experimental evidence, and demonstrable claims. It's not doing anyone any good if it doesn't, yet still takes itself seriously, beyond a certain point.

(And no, I am not saying this to offend anyone. I am just clarifying something I consider important, to avoid potential later confusion.)


Incidentally, orbital, sleep-cycles do of course exist, but the reasons for their existence are still unclear (where "unclear" means "have not been demonstrated so far"), as far as I know. But what I'd guess at is that they might have something to do with the way our neuronal circuitry performs self-maintenance during the process we call "sleep".

[EmpNapoleon]

Just noting that there is a clear enough distinction between actual psychology and what is often known, especially in an internet context, as theory-craft.

At least "theory-craft" is an art.  I've been in psychology research labs, and there's nothing fun about them.  This is based solely on my lack of discipline.  However, research can only be proven true (well I learned that researchers can't say "prove," they can only say "support") with the help of other research.  Then you read research articles that are boring because of their reliance on method.  I prefer, not research, but search.  I'm not an "actual psychologist;" I'm definitely not a scientific one.  Is psychology a liberal art anymore?  Independent variables I and II, Operational and Conceptual Dependent Variables, Latin Square Designs, graphs, data, data, data.  Like I said, I have not the discipline for math.

Otherwise, everyone would be a celebrated psychologist;

Sometimes I think that a 5 y.o. girl's assessment of my is better than a trained psychologist (though I've never spoken with the latter).  Everyone is a psychologist in a way.

If not, I'd rather see this discussion happen with real citations, experimental evidence, and demonstrable claims. It's not doing anyone any good if it doesn't, yet still takes itself seriously, beyond a certain point.

Do you have any research on animal dreams?  That would help very much.

[greg]

Is nothing in a child's brain, before his own senses feed in information?

there's of course some things, mainly emotions. A child making up a giraffe in his head before he sees it, now that would be creative!

I agree.  Or primal fear, the zoo, tv, stuffed animals, mascots, halloween costumes, etc.

yep, those too

Then you read research articles that are boring because of their reliance on method.  I prefer, not research, but search.  I'm not an "actual psychologist;" I'm definitely not a scientific one.

same thing for me, somewhat- i've tried reading books on psychology but they can be EXTREMELY boring and unreadable. And they never answer the simple questions that you want answered, so i just do observation of stuff like dreams and make my own theories based off of what normally happens, change my theory a bit, so on.....

[karlhenning]

Heck, I've long been an adult, and I find mascots scary 

[greg]

Give me a BIIIIIIIIGGG HUG, Karl!

I love you, you love me, we're a happy family.....

until i chop off all of your limbs while you sleep

[Renfield]

Sometimes I think that a 5 y.o. girl's assessment of my is better than a trained psychologist (though I've never spoken with the latter).  Everyone is a psychologist in a way.

Note how I said "celebrated", implying "good". Everyone might be a psychologist, but that does not preclude everyone being a bad psychologist.

All in all, I'll stick with said discipline, out of my vehement dislike of inconsistency; and in this case incohesion too, given what happens when inconsistency rears its ugly head (see: the examples of trained psychologists you alluded to)!


As for relevant research, I don't think I've something that will be of use, to point you to.

[EmpNapoleon]

As for relevant research, I don't think I've something that will be of use, to point you to.

Unfortunate for me, because I need 10 sources!!  So now I'm supposed to allude to research just for the sake of citing sources.  I would much rather write psychological prose.  But here is the method my professor professes: title page, abstract, introduction, method, results, discussion, references, tables and figures.  Since it is a 10 page paper, the 10 sources will take up a large portion of my paper.

Here are some other things she wants her students to be careful of:
Don't use insignificant, use nonsignificant.
Don't use fact, use evidence.
Don't use plays an important role, use is important because.
Don't use time period, use time.
Don't use it is possible that, use may.
Don't use demonstrate or exhibit, use show. (My favorite)
Don't use utilize, use use.
Don't use in other words, use thus/hence/therefore.

Yea, because if I said time period instead of time, then I'd be completely wrong.

[Mozart]

I don't have dreams, well if I do its usually sound but when I was 5 after my brother had a nightmare, I pretended to have a nightmare of a bunny chasing me with a giant spoon.