ABSTRACT
The method of analysis that is applied to the study of links among dream sources is descriptive, that is, it is independent of any general theory of dreaming. A starting assumption is that the association method can provide useful data, where “useful” mainly means “useful for the recognition of dream sources”. The hypothesis that associations are valid, or can be valid, is not the consequence of any theory of dreams. In particular, this hypothesis does not depend on the Freudian idea that the association process develops as a kind of reversal of the dream construction process. The idea that a person who knows important elements of the life of the dreamer can provide correct associations for the items of a dream can be applied also to the method of Dream Translation. The criteria for saying that something is negative or positive depend on needs and concerns of dreamer; in other words, these criteria are selfish, at least at first sight.
