Dream Interpretation and the Theories of Carl Jung

There are two names that are inextricably associated with the art and science of dream interpretation – Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.  While Freud saw the unconscious as a wild place, Jung saw it as more refined and spiritual.

Carl Jung was born in 1875 and lived enjoyed a long and fruitful career until his death in 1961.  Carl Jung originally studied under the tutelage of Sigmund Freud, and he learned a lot about the mind, the unconscious and the world of dreams during his role as a student.

It was their differing interpretations of the dream world, and their different views of the unconscious, however, that eventually led the two men to go their separate ways.  Eventually, their differing views on what dreams meant caused a major rift in their relationship.

Just like Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung believed that the subconscious existed in its own right.  Unlike Sigmund Freud, however, Carl Jung did not view the unconscious as a wild, instinctual and animalistic place.

Instead, unlike Freud, Jung saw the unconscious on a more spiritual level.  To Carl Jung, dreams were the best method for people to acquaint themselves with their unconscious mind.  Carl Jung did not see dreams as a way to hide the dreamer’s true feelings from the conscious mind, as Freud did.  Jung saw dreams as providing a guide to the waking self and helping the dreamer achieve a kind of wholeness.  To Jung, dreams were a way of offering solutions to problems the dreamer was experiencing in his or her waking life.

Jung and Archetypes:

The most common facet of dream interpretation associated with the work of Carl Jung is that of archetypes.  Jung believed that there are certain universal themes and universal images that were common to every culture and every civilization around the world.  To Carl Jung, these universal archetypes were proof of what he called the collective unconscious – or memories handed down through the ages from one generation to the next.

Some of the most well known archetypes described by Carl Jung include:

The Persona – Jung described the persona as the image presented to the public by each person.  In essence the persona is the public mask, the part of yourself that is shown to the world at large.  The opposite of the persona is the shadow.

The Shadow – Whereas the persona represents the parts of the personality that are shown to the world, the shadow archetype represents each person’s rejected aspects of themselves.  The shadow is often seen as a symbol of fear, anger or weakness.

The Anima – Jung saw the anima as the feminine aspects of the male mind.  The anima is the repressed female parts of the male psyche.

The Animus – The animus is the opposite of the anima.  Where the anima is the feminine part of the male psyche, the animus is the masculine part of the female mind.  Like the anima, the animus is most often repressed during waking hours.

The Divine Child – The divine child was described by Carl Jung as a symbol of the true self.  The divine child is often seen to represent the sense of potential or the sense of vulnerability.

The Wise Old Man – Jung saw the archetype of the wise old man as a symbol of the self or of a powerful figure.

The Great Mother – The great mother is seen as a symbol of nurture, growth, or fertility.  The great mother archetype is also associated with dominance and seduction. 

These archetypes appear in every culture, and variations of them have occurred around the world and in many different times.  Jung saw the appearance of these archetypes in dreams as highly significant, and he used these archetypal images in his dream interpretation.

Dream Interpretation – Dreams of Teeth

Dreams about teeth, particularly dreams where the dreamer finds his or her teeth falling out, are much more common than you might think. Some common forms of this dream include dreams in which the dreamer’s teeth crumble in his or her hands, or dreams in which the teeth fall out with just a light touch.  These dreams can be extremely frightening, even more so than chase dreams or falling dreams.   In addition, such dreams often leave the dreamer with an image that is hard to shake even after waking.

There are many theories about just what teeth, and losing teeth, represent in the dream world, and these can be some of the most difficult dreams to interpret.  One theory holds that dreams about teeth, and losing teeth, are a reflection of the dreamer’s anxiety about his or her appearance, and about how the dreamer thinks others perceive him or her.

This interpretation is certainly valid, especially since we live in a society that seems to value physical beauty above all else.  Since a good set of teeth play an important role in physical beauty, it is easy to see how uncertainties about one’s appearance could manifest themselves in dreams about losing teeth.

Since teeth play such an important role in physical attraction scenarios, such as flirting and getting the attention of the opposite sex, dreams of losing teeth can be manifestations of fears of getting old, fears of sexual impotence or other dating related anxieties.  

Other interpretations of dreams of losing teeth hold that they are representations of fear of embarrassment or making a fool of oneself.  For instance, someone who is dreading a potentially embarrassing situation, such as making a speech or other public speaking engagement, may dream of his or her teeth falling out.  This type of dream would represent an exaggeration of already present fears or anxieties brought on by the upcoming event.  People who are troubled by dreams of losing teeth or teeth falling out should examine their own lives for the source of possible embarrassment or appearance based anxieties.

Another theory holds that teeth in dreams represent power, since they are used in real life to tear, chew, and bite.  Therefore, the loss of teeth in a dream represents a perceived loss of power or influence.  People who feel frustrated, or who feel that their voices are not being heard, may have dreams about losing teeth.  Feeling ineffective, or feelings of inferiority, are often associated with such dreams as well.

Finally, some of the latest dream research has revealed that women have more frequent dreams about teeth as they enter menopause.  These dreams about teeth may be related to anxieties about appearance and fears of getting older.

There are of course other interpretations of dreams of missing or losing teeth.  There are interpretations of this dream in a number of cultures around the world, further testament to the fact that teeth are a common dream theme in many cultures.

One biblical interpretation of the dream of losing teeth holds that the bad teeth mean the dreamer is placing his or her faith in the works of man rather than in the word of God.  Thus the falling teeth in the dream are urging the dreamer to turn back to God for guidance.

The ancient Greeks believed that dreams about loose, rotting or missing teeth were warnings that a close friend or family member was very ill or near death.

The Chinese hold that teeth falling out is a punishment for lying, and that dreams of falling teeth are manifestations of guilt over telling lies.

Some have even suggested that dreams of missing teeth are associated with money.  This connection probably goes back to the old tooth fairy story, where children are rewarded with money for putting their lost teeth under their pillows.