ABSTRACT
In keeping with his notion that this book/series of lectures is in fact a “preliminary” overview of dream theory, Silberer proceeds to present “typical” dreams that seem to have been experienced by most people. His discussion is premised on two assumptions: the commonality of human emotional experience and concurrent mental conditions; and the similarity of culture, language, and world view. He even includes occasional allusions to mythological-like beliefs shared by large sectors of the population. In keeping with his open-minded appreciation of dreams and their symbols, he continues to posit that although a symbol may mean the same thing for large groups of individuals, it may mean something completely different for other groups of people, and that any given symbol could in fact contain a number of conflicting meanings, and lastly, that most dream symbols cannot simply be reduced via a Freudian, wish fulfillment lens.
