Interpreting Dreams
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Summary
Editor's review
From a professional standpoint, this is no simple dream manual but a theoretical magnum opus. Here Freud first systematically sets out his core concepts: dreams as wish fulfillment (especially of repressed wishes appearing in disguised form), along with the famous mechanisms of "dream-work" (condensation, displacement, symbolism, secondary revision). Reading it, one follows Freud's meticulous—sometimes even laborious—case analyses and gradually understands how he traces seemingly absurd dreams back to childhood experience, daily trivia, and deep psychical conflict. The journey is essentially an education in a new, revolutionary way of understanding the human mind.
It should be noted that Freud's theory has been controversial since its inception; its pansexualism, reliance on individual case material, and certain interpretations of female psychology have all been challenged and revised by later thinkers. Modern readers should therefore approach the book critically and developmentally, situating it within the history of psychological thought to understand both its epoch-making significance and its limitations. For readers who wish to delve into the origins of psychoanalysis and who harbor a lasting curiosity about the unconscious and the deep motives of human behavior, this book offers irreplaceable primary material.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Academic enthusiasts with a strong interest in psychology, psychoanalysis, philosophy, or cultural studies
- Readers seeking a systematic understanding of the origins of unconscious theory rather than quick-fix dream interpretation tips
- Readers with some grounding in the humanities and social sciences who can patiently follow complex logical argumentation
- Professionals working in psychological counseling, mental health, literary criticism, and related fields
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking only simple dream interpretation or fortune prediction
- Readers who cannot accept theoretical discussion involving sensitive topics such as sexual psychology
- Readers expecting a light read who cannot tolerate extensive case analyses and theoretical exposition
Reading tips
- Read the long introductory chapter and the first two chapters first to grasp Freud's basic method and core arguments, then proceed to the specific case analyses
- Reading alongside Freud's biography and the historical context of his era helps illuminate the background in which his theory took shape
- Read in comparison with later critics or revisers (such as Jung, Lacan, or modern cognitive psychology) on dreams to form a more three-dimensional understanding
About the publisher
The Commercial Press is a publisher known for classic works and academic publishing, with titles spanning Eastern philosophy, foreign literature, world history, social culture, and applied psychology. Its list includes classical commentaries such as Zhu Xi's Collected Commentaries on the Analects and Wang Bi's Commentary on the Zhouyi, as well as modern annotated translations like Zhuangzi with Modern Notes and Translation. In foreign literature it offers War and Peace and Crime and Punishment, while in world history it carries Braudel's The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II. Applied psychology is represented by Irvin D. Yalom's Existential Psychotherapy, and ethical texts include a Greek-Chinese-English edition of the Nicomachean Ethics. Its authors and translators include Zhu Xi, Wang Bi, Yalom, Braudel, and translators such as Huang Zheng, Zhang Yiling, Shen Dongyu, and Tang Jialong, balancing the editing of original texts with academic translation.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一版序言
- 第二版序言
- 第三版序言
- 第六版序言
- 第四版序言
- 第五版序言
- 第八版序言
- 英文第三（修订）版序言
- 第一章 有关梦的问题的科学文献
- 一、梦与清醒生活的关系
- 二、梦的材料——梦中记忆
- 三、梦的刺激和来源
- 四、梦在醒后为什么被遗忘
- 五、梦的显著心理特征
- 六、梦中的道德感
- 七、做梦及其功能的理论
- 八、梦与精神疾病的关系
- 第二章 释梦的方法：一个梦例的分析
- 第三章 梦是欲望的满足
- 第四章 梦的化装
- 第五章 梦的材料与来源
- 一、梦中最近的和无关紧要的材料
- 二、作为梦的来源的幼儿期材料
- 三、梦的躯体方面的来源
- 四、典型的梦
- 第六章 梦的工作
- 一、凝缩作用
- 二、移置作用
- 三、梦的表现手段
- 四、表现力的考虑
- 五、梦的象征表现：进一步的典型梦例
- 六、一些梦例——梦中的计算和讲话
- 七、荒谬的梦——梦中的理智活动
- 八、梦的感情
- 九、润饰作用
- 第七章 梦过程的心理学
- 一、梦的遗忘
- 二、回归作用
- 三、欲望满足
- 四、梦中惊醒——梦的功能——焦虑梦
- 五、原初过程和继发过程——压抑
- 六、潜意识与意识——现实
- 附录一 论梦
- 附录二 文献目录
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About the author
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, and the founder of psychoanalysis. Born in Freiberg, Moravia, he practiced and conducted research in Vienna for many years, developing theories of the unconscious, dream interpretation, and the id, ego, and superego, and writing works such as The Interpretation of Dreams and Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality. Persecuted by the Nazis, he moved to London in 1938 and died there the following year. The library holds 66 of his works, spanning psychology, social psychology, social science, and philosophy, including Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, Civilization and Its Discontents, The Ego and the Id, and a multi-volume collection of classic psychological writings. Grounded in clinical observation and tightly argued, his writing has had a profound influence on modern psychology, literature, and cultural criticism.
Sun Mingzhi: publicly available information is limited. At present, he is known only for one work, An Interpretation of Dreams, which is included in the psychology application category. Based on the available information, his writing centers on dreams as a psychological phenomenon and belongs to applied psychology aimed at general readers rather than purely academic theoretical writing. Because his dates of birth and death, nationality, educational background, and professional experience cannot be verified, no further account of his academic lineage or personal life can be given. Within the library's holdings, the title An Interpretation of Dreams suggests that the author attends to dream analysis and psychological mechanisms, possibly involving accessible discussion of the causes of dreams, their symbolic meanings, and their connection to real psychological states. Such subject matter generally requires both basic psychological knowledge and clear expression, so that professional concepts can be translated into content that the public can understand. Overall, Sun Mingzhi's writing leans toward application and popularization, and his intended readers are likely ordinary people interested in dreams and psychological phenomena.
