ABSTRACT
Early in life, without many concepts on board, the brain seems to be searching for rhythm, regularity, or perhaps—meaning. Time spent in the relatively non-synchronous, high energy rapid eye movement Sleep State decreases over the mammalian life span. This is consistent with the idea that a reduction in the degrees of freedom of mind-brain occurs in old age. Self-development has to involve the development of new concepts and changes in the way that concepts are used. Specifically, the habits to activate newer, more valid concepts have to become stronger than habits to activate older, less valid concepts. The results suggest that if an important change occurs in a regulatory self-concept and/or the process by which the new self-concept is used, measurable changes will occur in memory processes. Some claim the waking, re-experience of a dream is not especially central to mind-brain development. The relations between symptoms, personality, and memory are of course central in psychoanalytic theory.
