The Functions of Dreaming

By Milton Kramer

Book Overview

Many contemporary neuroscientists are skeptical about the belief that dreaming accomplishes anything in the context of human adaptation and this skepticism is widely accepted in the popular press. This book provides answers to that skepticism from experimental and clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists, and anthropologists. Ranging across the human and life sciences, the authors provide provocative insights into the enduring question of dreaming from the point of view of the brain, the individual, and culture. The Functions of Dreaming contains both new theory and research on the functions of dreaming as well as revisions of older theories dating back to the founder of modern dream psychology, Sigmund Freud. Also explored are the many roles dreaming plays in adaptation to daily living, in human development, and in the context of different cultures: search, integration, identity formation, memory consolidation, the creation of new knowledge, and social communication.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0791412989
• ISBN13: 9780791412985
• Release Date: March 1993
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 610 Pages
• Weight: 1.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

The Functions of Dreaming

This book is a scholarly collection of informative essays which are presented by prominent practitioners and well-respected research scientists in the medical and behavioral fields. Each one offers a unique perspective on the subject of human dreaming. This is a thorough work, suitable for use as a college, graduate, or professional education text. The chapters are laid out in neat progression from those dealing with a medical emphasis, next those from a psychological perspective, and last those bringing in a cultural and folk treatment of dreaming. For anyone who has a keen interest in delving very deeply into the subject of dreaming and exploring the frontiers of knowledge on it, who welcomes plenty of technical detail, this book would be well worth its purchase price.