Since many (most?) people believe in dream interpretation, I've had fun with a little exercise that I use before and after teaching about the different theories of what might really cause dreams. (Activation-synthesis, information-processing, wish fulfillment, etc.)
I make up an elaborate, though bizarre little story (always involving a train, of course!), with some little plot twists and unusual characters. At the beginning of the dream section, I hand it out to each student and have them write out a short "analysis" of what they think the dream "means." After I've taught about the different theories, I divide students into groups and give each one a theory to use, and tell them to "analyze" the dream using their theory. After the first "analysis," they quickly agree that dream interpretation is very subjective, but after the second one, they are able to put a little intellectual muscle behind the whole concept. Here's an example of the kind of dream story I've made up, reminding them that dreams are always bizarre (that lets me cut them off when they start in on their own dreams, convinced they're unusually bizarre; *yawn*): "In real life: Sylvia is a 20-year-old college student. She recently dyed her blonde hair black. Her boyfriend has told her that he likes it. Sylvia had had an abortion the previous spring, but hadn't told her boyfriend she was pregnant. The only one to whom she's "talked" about her abortion is her cat, to whom she turns for comfort. In her dream, she suddenly realizes her boyfriend thinks he's talking to his mother when he mentions her new hair color. She takes a train home (!) where she is surprised to find that her mother has had a new baby while she was away, though no one but Sylvia seems surprised. She picks the baby up but as she tries to cuddle it, it turns into her cat (whom she's left at home, of course). The cat scratches her. She's very upset by this. Then she's swimming in the ocean, and a huge wave washes over her. She tries very hard to swim, but fears she's drowning, and suddenly wakes up with a pounding heart." Well, that's the most recent bizarro offering. Feel free to use the story in class. I made it up and have lots more where that came from - my secretly twisted little mind. Students really do seem to get some good laughs out of the offered interpretations, but also can appreciate that the different theories can make a big difference in how you look at a dream. This is also a good time to remind them about the valuelessness of superstition (a point I refer to a lot during the semester, from the very first class), which may help them to be less spooked by their own dreams. Another thing I've done is bring in a couple of those cheap dream interpretation dictionaries and randomly thumb through them and show them how silly and contradictory they are. Be prepared, of course, for a couple of students who are going to miss the point, and say, "Oh, I've had that dream. And it really DID mean...." *Another sigh.* ** Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
