Alfred Adler believed that dreams were an important part to mastering control over our waking lives. They were problem solving devices. Dreams need to be brought to conscious light and interpreted so that we can better understand and solve our problems. It is important to learn from our dreams and incorporate them into our life.
Because of Adler’s belief that dreams were correlated with the problems in our daily life, he further went to say that the more dreams we have, then the more problems we are likely to have.
Unlike Freud, Adler believed that control, power and motivation were the driving force behind the behavior, not sexual impulses. Furthermore, he did not think that our actions and behavior or ruled by our unconscious, but rather strive for perfection and need for control is what cause us to do the things we do. Adler did not believe that the conscious and unconscious functioned against each other. We acted the same way whether we are awake or sleeping. Dreams were an open pathway toward our true thoughts, emotions and actions.
To interpret my dream according to Adler’s dream theory
“I dreamt that I am taking an exam, I feel very anxious and frustrated. I cannot answer any of the questions on the test. The time is running out and I cannot complete the exam in time. I look around, everybody look fine and have no problem with the test. I feel more nervous and so much pressure inside. I cannot even read the test question and I suddenly woke up. I am so glad that it was only a dream.”
At Adler’s view: This dream connects to my self-esteem, confidence and insecurity. I am worried that I am not getting a good grade or measuring up to other people’s expectations. I also experience the fear of not being accepted, not being prepared, or not being good enough.
This dream indicate that I am being judged and this dream is a signal for me to examine an aspect of myself that I may have been neglecting and need to pay attention to. It goes back to my...