Psychology of religion and dreams

Last updated

Dreams have been interpreted in many different ways from being a source of power to the capability of understanding and communicating with the dead. [1] [ unreliable medical source? ] [2] [ unreliable medical source? ] [3] Traditional forms of societies considered dreams as portals to another world, a spirit world. [1] These societies would even say they could gain most of their religious ideas from dreams. They could identify the sacred and gain access to sacred realms or portals to the supernatural. [2] Psychologists have been researching dreams as of the 21st century because the connection between religious connotations in dreams has brought about growth and health. [3] However, many different psychologists claim there is very little evidence to the research on the psychology of religion and dreams. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Dream interpretation

The contemporary 21st century has brought about a scientific materialism that can be detrimental to understanding the concept of dreams and how to interpret them. Traditionally, the concept of dreaming and interpreting dreams through religious means is universal. [3] Some of the cultures around the world consider dream interpretation through their religious views as a means of spiritual discipline. [1] [ unreliable medical source? ] A psychological view of this connection between religious views and dream interpretation stems from analyzing the content of dreams. The continuity theory has proposed that dream and waking cognition have everything in common except that dream cognition does not have the capability of being reflective. The counter argument to this theory would purpose that dream and waking cognition are completely different. Researchers such as Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud have claimed that dream processing must include a more symbolic approach, utilizing metaphors to explain its purposes. [4]

History of dream interpretation

Many different researchers have tried to understand the purpose behind dreaming and state their most apprehensive work behind understanding early childhood dreams. Sigmund Freud (1900/1965) claimed that dreams from childhood were illustrations of wish-fulfillment dreams that begin in naivety during childhood and escalate into later adulthood.[ full citation needed ] Carl Jung (1974) believed that childhood dreams were a sign of transpersonal wisdom from the unconscious.[ full citation needed ] G. William Domhoff (1996) and S. H. Foulkes (1999) were both known for arguing childhood dreams as a reflection of the immature development involved in the consciousness of a young child, involving characteristics such as being passive and bland.[ full citation needed ] Antti Revonsuo (2000) was in support of childhood dreams, in particular nightmares, to better support his idea of "threat simulation theory" found in dreaming. [5]

Worldviews

From the earliest of ones, dreams have been best interpreted as part of a religious worldview. Traditional societies wouldn't have had a problem declaring dreams to be more than just a psychological state, but of an encounter with a different realm. [6] Most of the world's religious traditions in the 21st century have considered dreams to be sacred and part of a religious landscape. [1] [ unreliable medical source? ] Each culture has a different way of expressing their traditions and contemporary beliefs on dream and interpretation. It is important to explore these different worldviews to gain a better sense of the relation between religion and dreams. [7]

Tribal/indigenous worldview

Native Americans' belief of dreaming is more similar to Buddhism versus that of common Western beliefs. Their view of dreams and dream interpretation looks similar to that of an interactive conversation. The conversation happens between them and the world. They are able to have this conversation because they don't see a difference between dreaming and waking reality, but rather an overlapping experience. In this particular event in which they are overlapping worlds, they are able to open up their spiritual eyes to the visible and invisible, the audible and inaudible. The main goal of dreaming within this worldviews is twofold. They first look to gain a strong connection between them and the world as well as enhance their self-knowledge and respect among their tribe. [8]

Western worldview

Christianity

The belief of dreams tying with religious themes in the Western worldview was not something that was naturally intuitive. By having belief in these things, the Western culture would open their minds to a non-rational and imaginative force that opens up people's mind to understanding realism with evil and how one can have hope over it. Pursuing dreams does not require God or gods and is why the Western culture receives this practice openly among their religious views and lifestyles. [9] There has been debate among researchers as to whether researching dreams is worthwhile. Some have debated that dreams are purposeless and completely random, whereas other have suggested dreams having an adaptive function that allows for positive implications. Although there isn't findings of specifically lowering negative effects, research has alluded to dreams embellished with religious themes having a positive benefit for the user. The biggest finding was related to dreams and religion included exploring this connection as a form of coping. [10] This effect of the Western worldview of dreams and dream interpretation with religious connotations has spread as far as the churches in Nigeria, Africa. These churches believed their leaders in the church would receive frequent dreams that would guide them and their followers to a special spiritual status. [11]

Eastern worldview

Buddhism

Amidst different Hinduism and Buddhist contexts, there are different theories such as sleepless dreaming that appear. This is unique to the Eastern culture because it is rarely mentioned with the Western culture when discussing the possibility of dreams and religion. The only time Western writers talk of dreamless sleep is when referencing Hindu or Buddhist contexts. This Eastern viewpoint gives a unique insight on how practices in Buddhist circles can be contextualized. This dreamless sleep as mentioned prior is part of Tibetan Buddhism practice of achieving a particular mental state before going into sleep. They describe this experience as such of having visions and they require some visual criteria to be present for dreamless sleep to be achieved. Its highest form of praise is that it gives practical guidelines for the practicing Buddhist and their progress in meditation. [12]

Islam

The Muslim society believes different forms of dreaming can help people come into contact with past martyrs of their faith. Their purpose is to give the dreamer full understanding of the martyr's existence and implications towards the future. Different examples of how dreams can affect the future of Muslims include but are not limited to: showing a prosperous future, motivate them into moral or spiritual development and warning them of impending dangers. Decisions made by Muslims can be as important as deciding a future spouse can be determined through one particular dream. The ultimate purpose behind these dreams is to give the devout Muslim a deeper insight into the truth that is not available in waking reality. [13]

Dream Interpretation Method

According to Dr Abdullah bin Muhammad at Thayyar, [14] there are several methods for people who want to interpret dreams. Because, not everyone can interpret dreams. [15]

  1. The person is a religious person and is good at dream interpretation.
  2. Such a person cannot interpret, except on the basis of good knowledge and understanding.
  3. When a dream is told to him, he should say it well.
  4. He should hide the disgrace of people who dream from others. It can't tell the fulan dream like this and this.
  5. He should not interpret dreams except after recognizing and distinguishing every kind of dream and the things that are relevant to it.
  6. The person who interprets the dream must be a smart, intelligent, fearless and pious person. In addition, he is someone who understands the Quran, Hadith, Arabic language and supporting tools to understand Islam.
  7. He shouldn't interpret dreams in times of emergency.
  8. It should interpret the dream in terms of the level of madzhab of Islam, religion and state of each person.
  9. He should always ask God for help in interpreting dreams.
  10. If in fact he is not able to interpret it, then do not force yourself to interpret the dream.
  11. If the meaning of his dream is something that the dreamer does not like, then he should be quiet or say something nice.
  12. It should be the intention and purpose of interpreting this dream to draw closer to Allah ta'ala, as this is the way in which the Prophets of Allah are living.
  13. He should not interpret dreams until he knows and knows the dreamer well.
  14. It cannot lie or interpret what is actually good but is said to be bad. And vice versa, interpreting what is bad but saying good.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious pluralism</span> Stance of supporting peaceful coexistence and diversity of spiritual belief

Religious pluralism is an attitude or policy regarding the diversity of religious belief systems co-existing in society. It can indicate one or more of the following:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dream</span> Event occurring in the mind while sleeping

A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, although the dreamer may perceive the dream as being much longer than this.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dream interpretation</span> Assigning of meaning to dreams

Dream interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams.

A belief is a subjective attitude that a proposition is true or a state of affairs is the case. A subjective attitude is a mental state of having some stance, take, or opinion about something. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take it to be true; for instance, to believe that snow is white is comparable to accepting the truth of the proposition "snow is white". However, holding a belief does not require active introspection. For example, few individuals carefully consider whether or not the sun will rise tomorrow, simply assuming that it will. Moreover, beliefs need not be occurrent, but can instead be dispositional.

A worldview or a world-view or Weltanschauung is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural philosophy; fundamental, existential, and normative postulates; or themes, values, emotions, and ethics.

The relationship between Buddhism and science is a subject of contemporary discussion and debate among Buddhists, scientists, and scholars of Buddhism. Historically, Buddhism encompasses many types of beliefs, traditions and practices, so it is difficult to assert any single "Buddhism" in relation to science. Similarly, the issue of what "science" refers to remains a subject of debate, and there is no single view on this issue. Those who compare science with Buddhism may use "science" to refer to "a method of sober and rational investigation" or may refer to specific scientific theories, methods or technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religious studies</span> Objective study of religion

Religious studies, also known as the study of religion, is an academic field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.

Psychology of religion consists of the application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to the diverse contents of religious traditions as well as to both religious and irreligious individuals. The various methods and frameworks can be summarized according to the classic distinction between the natural-scientific and human-scientific approaches. The first cluster amounts to objective, quantitative, and preferably experimental procedures for testing hypotheses about causal connections among the objects of one's study. In contrast, the human-scientific approach accesses the human world of experience using qualitative, phenomenological, and interpretive methods. This approach aims to discern meaningful, rather than causal, connections among the phenomena one seeks to understand.

In Hindu philosophy, turiya, also referred to as chaturiya, chaturtha, is the true self (atman) beyond the three common states of consciousness. It is postulated in several Upanishads and explicated in Gaudapada's Mandukya Karika.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spiritual philosophy</span>

Spiritual philosophy is any philosophy or teaching that pertains to spirituality. It may incorporate religious or esoteric themes. It can include any belief or thought system that embraces the existence of a reality that cannot be physically perceived. Concepts of spiritual philosophy are not universal and differ depending on one’s religious and cultural backgrounds.  Spiritual philosophy can also be solely based on one’s personal and experiential connections.

Secular spirituality is the adherence to a spiritual philosophy without adherence to a religion. Secular spirituality emphasizes the inner peace of the individual, rather than a relationship with the divine. Secular spirituality is made up of the search for meaning outside of a religious institution; it considers one's relationship with the self, others, nature, and whatever else one considers to be the ultimate. Often, the goal of secular spirituality is living happily and/or helping others.

Hypnopompia is the state of consciousness leading out of sleep, a term coined by the psychical researcher Frederic Myers. Its mirror is the hypnagogic state at sleep onset; though often conflated, the two states are not identical and have a different phenomenological character. Hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations are frequently accompanied by sleep paralysis, which is a state wherein one is consciously aware of one's surroundings but unable to move or speak.

Psychoanalytic dream interpretation is a subdivision of dream interpretation as well as a subdivision of psychoanalysis pioneered by Sigmund Freud in the early 20th century. Psychoanalytic dream interpretation is the process of explaining the meaning of the way the unconscious thoughts and emotions are processed in the mind during sleep.

The archaeology of religion and ritual is a growing field of study within archaeology that applies ideas from religious studies, theory and methods, anthropological theory, and archaeological and historical methods and theories to the study of religion and ritual in past human societies from a material perspective.

Content in Freudian dream analysis refers to two closely connected aspects of the dream: the manifest content, and the latent content. Impulses and drives residing in the unconscious press toward consciousness during sleep, but are only able to evade the censorship mechanism of repression by associating themselves with words, ideas and images that are acceptable to consciousness. Thus the dream as consciously remembered upon waking is interpreted in psychoanalysis as a disguised or distorted representation of repressed desires.

Postmodern religion is any type of religion that is influenced by postmodernism and postmodern philosophies. Examples of religions that may be interpreted using postmodern philosophy include Postmodern Christianity, Postmodern Neopaganism, and Postmodern Buddhism. Postmodern religion is not an attempt to banish religion from the public sphere; rather, it is a philosophical approach to religion that critically considers orthodox assumptions. Postmodern religious systems of thought view realities as plural, subjective, and dependent on the individual's worldview. Postmodern interpretations of religion acknowledge and value a multiplicity of diverse interpretations of truth, being, and ways of seeing. There is a rejection of sharp distinctions and global or dominant metanarratives in postmodern religion, and this reflects one of the core principles of postmodern philosophy. A postmodern interpretation of religion emphasises the key point that religious truth is highly individualistic, subjective, and resides within the individual.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wish fulfillment</span>

Wish fulfillment is the satisfaction of a desire through an involuntary thought process. It can occur in dreams or in daydreams, in the symptoms of neurosis, or in the hallucinations of psychosis. This satisfaction is often indirect and requires interpretation to recognize.

In Christian missiology, an insider movement is a group or network of people from a non-Christian religion who consider themselves followers of Jesus while remaining relationally, culturally and socially a part of the religious community of their birth. Though members of insider movements do not typically join Christian churches in their area or region, they may see themselves as part of the wider Body of Christ. It has been observed that as members of these groups follow Jesus and the Bible, they personally reject, reinterpret, or modify the non-biblical beliefs found in their religious communities. This process makes them different in some ways from their co-religionists, yet when groups can faithfully follow Jesus without formally disassociating themselves from their religious communities, insider movements can occur. Such movements have been observed among a number of religious groups, most notably among Jews, Muslims and Hindus.

<i>Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion</i> 2014 book by Sam Harris

Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion is a 2014 book by Sam Harris that discusses a wide range of topics including secular spirituality, the illusion of the self, psychedelics, and meditation. He attempts to show that a certain form of spirituality is integral to understanding the nature of the mind. In late September 2014, the book reached #5 on The New York Times Non-Fiction Best Sellers list.

Trust building is the most influential factor in negotiating between two sides. The stronger this factor appears, the greater the chance will be for negotiators to cooperate. Studies have suggested that religious backgrounds can have a direct impact on the confidence and process of negotiation. Such tendencies generally do not prevent a contract or an agreement from being concluded; however, there are reasons to believe that religious affiliations reduce the negotiation process and give more confidence to decision makers.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 McNamara, P. "Religiosity and dream recall". Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist.
  2. 1 2 3 McNamara, P. "Religion and dreams". Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gunter, R. (1983). "A viewpoint". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 37 (3): 411–427. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1983.37.3.411. PMID   6194699.
  4. ↑ McNamara, P.; Andresen, J.; Arrowhead, J.; Messer, G. "Counterfactual cognitive operations in dreams". Dreaming: 121–133.
  5. ↑ Stiller, J.; Sanchez, A.; Broughton, B.; Bulkeley, K. "Earliest remembered dreams". Dreaming: 205–222.
  6. ↑ Gollnick, J. (1999). "Dream interpretation in the psychology of religion: A topic review". Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses. Dream interpretation in the psychology of religion: A topic review. 28 (3): 293–305. doi:10.1177/000842989902800302. S2CID   145424279.
  7. ↑ Kaplinsky, C. (2008). "Shifting shadows: Shaping dynamics in the cultural unconscious". Journal of Analytical Psychology. 53 (2): 189–207. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-5922.2008.00716.x . PMID   18352946.
  8. ↑ Tedlock, B. "The poetics And spirituality Of dreaming: A Native American enactive theory". Dreaming: 183–189.
  9. ↑ Katz, R. L. "Review of the wilderness of dreams: Exploring the religious meanings of dreams in modern Western culture". Dreaming: 289–291.
  10. ↑ Pargament, K. I.; Phillips, R. E. "The sanctification of dreams: Prevalence and implications". Dreaming: 141–153.
  11. ↑ Renne, E. P. "Dressing in the stuff of dreams: Sacred dress and religious authority in Southwestern Nigeria". Dreaming: 120–135.
  12. ↑ Gillespie, G. "Dreams and dreamless sleep". Dreaming: 199–207.
  13. ↑ Sirriyeh, E. "Dream narratives of Muslims' martyrdom: Constant and changing roles past and present". Dreaming: 168–180.
  14. ↑ "ضوابط تعبير الرؤيا". www.alukah.net (in Arabic). 2010-09-20. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  15. ↑ "Arti Mimpi Gigi Copot Atas Bawah, Menurut Ulama' Islam". Salikun.com. 2020-04-20. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.