Freud's theory of dreams is based on the idea that dreams are a manifestation of unconscious desires and thoughts. According to him, dreams serve as a way for the unconscious mind to fulfill these repressed wishes in a disguised and symbolic manner. He believed that dreams contain both manifest content, which is the actual storyline or events of the dream that the dreamer remembers, and latent content, which is the hidden or symbolic meanings behind the manifest content. Freud argued that the unconscious mind uses various defense mechanisms, such as symbolism, displacement, and condensation, to disguise these hidden meanings and protect the dreamer from recognizing and confronting their repressed desires and fears. He referred to the process of unlocking the hidden meanings in dreams as dream interpretation or psychoanalysis. Overall, Freud's theory emphasizes the importance of understanding dreams as a reflection of one's unconscious mind and a key to uncovering repressed thoughts and desires.
