Do dreams make wishes come true?

In the “Interpretation of Dreams,” a psychiatrist Sigmund Freud, published an analysis of his dreams in 1899. Freud concluded that dreams fulfill our unconscious wishes. For instance, Freud examines the dream he had about his patient Irma. In this dream, Freud says to Irma, who is suffering from hysteria, “If you still get pains, it is your fault.” (Freud, 142) By making this statement, Freud places the blame on his patient. Freud is angry after his friend Otto informed him that Irma had not gotten better because he believed Otto was criticizing him for promising Irma that she would become better. Also, since Irma refused Freud’s treatment, he even replaced Irma in his dream with her likable friend. Freud was angry that his patient refused his treatment, and he wanted to shift the blame onto her. Therefore, Freud could also remove his guilt over the fact that he was failing his patient. To demonstrate the guilt he felt even more, Freud dreamed that Irma was suffering from a physical condition that he was not responsible for treating as a psychiatrist. Thus, Freud could no longer feel guilty if he were to abandon or replace his patient. (Freud, 141) By analyzing this dream, Freud concluded that his dream was a manifestation of his wish not to be responsible for treating Irma anymore. (Freud, 142) Freud could have been angry with Irma and disappointed that she refused his treatment, but his dreams may not have expressed those emotions directly. How may have Freud applied his feelings of guilt or anger to these dreams while analyzing them? Is Freud’s dream merely a collection of random thoughts that do not reveal a deeper meaning? Do dreams always fulfill our wishes?

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