Chapter 11 Lecture 10 The Symbolism of Dreams

We have seen that the incomprehension of dreams is due to their disguise, which in turn is the result of the examination of immoral unconscious desire-impulses.Of course we dare not say that the censorship is the only cause of the disguise. If we study the dream further, we will find that there are other causes of the disguise; in other words, if the censorship is eliminated, we still cannot understand it. The dream understands something, and the manifest dream cannot agree with the latent dream-content. Another reason for the masquerade is revealed by our awareness of a defect in the psychoanalytic technique.I have admitted that sometimes the analysand does not have associations with individual elements of the dream.Of course this is not the case as much as they say.In most cases, if the analyst persists, associations can still be elicited; but in some few cases, indeed, no associations are elicited at all, and in the end associations, if any, are not what we want.If psychoanalytic treatment encounters such a situation, it will be meaningful, and I will not describe it here; but this situation can also occur when interpreting dreams for normal people or for oneself.In this case, no amount of persuasion really worked, and we learned at last that this unpleasant hindrance often occurs whenever there is a special element in the dream; Know that this is the result of some new principle at work.

Therefore, we try to explain and translate these unassociated elements in our own way.It is not surprising that whenever we dare to make this translation, it often acquires a full meaning, whereas as soon as we decide not to use it, the dream loses coherence and becomes meaningless.At the beginning of this kind of experiment, I didn't dare to be confident, but with the increasing number of similar examples, I can gradually believe it. I am now going to give an overview, which is permissible for the purpose of speech, although it is relatively brief, but it will not cause misunderstanding.

We then apply to a group of dream-elements a fixed translation, just as we find in popular dream-books for all kinds of things in dreams.But you will remember that when we apply the method of free association, the dream elements never have such fixed substitutes. You will immediately think that this method of dream-interpretation seems even less reliable and more reproachable than the method of free association.But I also have something to say: we have gathered from our own experience many instances in which this invariant translation can be used, and we have come to know that dream interpretation sometimes does not require the use of the dreamer's associations, but only our own knowledge.As for where this knowledge comes from, we will wait until the second half of this chapter.

We may call the fixed relation of the dream-element to its interpretation a symbolic relation, and the dream-element itself is a symbol of the latent dream-content. When talking about relationships, I have cited three kinds of relationships: 1. Parts replace the whole, 2. Metaphors, and 3. Images.I also said that there was a fourth possible relationship, but I didn't say it explicitly at the time.This fourth relation is that of symbols just referred to; and on this subject, before giving our particular observations, let some attention be given to interesting points for discussion.Symbolism is perhaps the most striking part of our theory of dreams.

First, the relationship between the symbol and the symbolized idea is fixed, and the latter seems to be the interpretation of the former. Therefore, although our technology is quite different from the dream interpretation of the ancients and ordinary people, symbolism coincides with it to a certain extent. The ancients and ordinary people interpreted the meaning of dreams.Because we have symbols, we can interpret a dream in a certain situation without asking the dreamer. In fact, the dreamer can never tell the dreamer in any way.If we know the symbols that often appear in dreams, the personality of the dreamer, his life situation, and the impressions received before the dream, we can often interpret the dream immediately; it seems that we can translate it as soon as we meet.This success can not only satisfy the dream interpreter, but also amaze the dreamer; so it is much better than the troublesome inquiry method.But do not let this lead you into any misconceptions: gimmicks are by no means our habit, and dream-interpretation based on symbolism is by no means a substitute for, or comparable to, free association.Symbolism is a supplement to association, and its results are effective only in conjunction with association.As far as our knowledge of the dreamer's psychic situation is concerned, you must know that we do not only interpret the dreams of acquaintances; generally speaking, we are probably ignorant of the facts of the previous day which gave rise to the dream, so that the associations of the analysand are the result of the so-called psychic situation. source of knowledge.

It is particularly noteworthy that the question of this symbolic role between the dream and the unconscious has given rise to the most violent protests, especially as will be discussed later.Even men of good judgment who sympathize with psycho-analysis in other respects are strongly dissenting on this point.This behavior becomes all the more surprising if we remember two things: 1. Symbolism is not peculiar to dreams, nor is it a peculiar quality of dreams; From psychoanalysis.If we were to cite the modern predecessors of this theory, Scherner 1861 should be the first; psychoanalysis only confirmed his theory, but revised it in some important respects.

You may wish to give a few examples of the nature of the symbolism of dreams.I would like to share what I know, but I don't think our knowledge is as rich as we would like it to be. The symbolic relationship is essentially a comparison, but it is not any kind of comparison.We must feel that this symbolic analogy is subject to certain special conditions, but we have not been able to specify what these conditions are.Not all things that can be compared to one thing and one thing are presented in the dream as symbols. Conversely, the dream does not use symbols to represent anything. What it symbolizes is only the subconscious spiritual elements of the dream; therefore, both parties have their own boundaries. .We must also admit that the current concept of symbol cannot point out a clear boundary, because symbol is easily confused with substitutes, appearances, etc., and even approximates metaphor.The basis of comparison for some symbols is not difficult to see, while for others it is necessary to look for the common factor or common ratio in the comparison, the tertiumcomparationis.Sometimes it takes careful thinking to discover its hidden meaning, and sometimes its meaning cannot be explained after thinking about it.And even if the symbol is indeed an analogy, this analogy is not revealed by free association; the dreamer knows nothing about it, so the use of symbols is not intentional; willing to admit.It can be seen that the symbolic relationship is a special analogy, the nature of which is not yet fully understood.Future discoveries may be made to understand this unknown.

The few things that are represented by symbols in dreams are the human body, parents, children, brothers, sisters, life and death, nudity—there is one other thing that I will not mention for now.The usual symbol for the whole human body is the house, as Scherner knew, but he exaggerated the significance of this symbol.A man dreams that he is climbing down the front of the house is sometimes pleasant and sometimes terrifying.A house with smooth walls signifies a man; a house with ledges and balconies signifies a woman.Parents appear in dreams as emperors and queens or kings and queens or other noble figures; in this regard, the attitude of the dream is respectful.Children, brothers, sisters, etc. are treated less kindly and are often represented as small animals or vermin.The symbol of birth is often inseparable from the water, or dreaming of falling into the water, or dreaming of climbing out of the water, or dreaming of saving someone from the water, or dreaming of being rescued from the water, all of which symbolize the relationship between mother and child.The symbol of dying is traveling by car, while the state of death uses various vague metaphors; as for the nudity, clothes and uniforms are used instead.It can be seen that symbol and metaphor have gradually lost their strict boundaries.

Given the poverty of symbols for these things, the abundance of symbols for things about sexual life, such as genitals, coitus, etc., is unavoidably surprising.Most of the symbols in dreams are sexual symbols.There are so few things related to sex, and the number of symbols used to symbolize it is unfathomable, so that each thing has many symbols with the same meaning.The result of the interpretation, therefore, arouses the attack of ordinary people, because the symbolism of the dream is multifarious, and its interpretation is extremely monotonous.This is certainly not what everyone likes; but the fact is, what can be done?

Since this is the first time that sex life is mentioned in these lectures, I must make a few remarks about the manner in which this subject is discussed.Psychoanalysis has nothing to hide about anything, and thinks that there is really no need to be ashamed to discuss such important issues; it even believes that no matter what happens, the name must be corrected first, and then there will be no unnecessary disputes.Although the audience here is both male and female, I treat them equally.The science of speech cannot be concealed, nor can it be tailored to suit the requirements of women; the ladies in the audience have come to listen to the lectures, and they have already stated that they will receive the same treatment as men.

The phallus has various symbols in dreams, and for the most part the common idea on which the comparison is based is easy to see.First, the sacred number three is a symbol of the entire male genitalia.Its more important part that attracts both sexes - the penis - its symbol can be long and vertical objects such as walking sticks, umbrellas, bamboo poles, tree trunks, etc.; it can also be piercing and harmful objects - that is, various Sharp weapons: such as knives, daggers, guns, spears, sabers, etc.It can also be all kinds of firearms: guns, pistols, and revolvers, etc. These latter things are very appropriate symbols because of their similar shapes.In anxious dreams, girls are often chased by men with swords or rifles.This is perhaps the most common dream, and it is not difficult to explain such a symbol even to yourself.Sometimes the male genitalia is symbolized by things from which water flows, such as: faucets, kettles or springs;Other utensils such as pencils, penholders, nail files, hammers, and others are also obviously symbols of masculinity.These meanings are not difficult to understand. Because the phallus has the characteristic of being held upright against the force of gravity, it is also symbolized by balloons, airplanes, and recently Zeppelin.But there is another, more powerful symbol of erection in the dream of lifting; it makes the genitals an integral part of the whole person, and the dreamer takes off by himself.Goofing in dreams is familiar to everyone, and sometimes it is very beautiful. Now if this kind of dream is interpreted as a dream of sexual excitement or a dream of impotence, you should not be surprised.There is a psychoanalytic researcher Feldn who has proved the reliability of this explanation; and Wald, who is known for his shrewdness, has experimented with unnatural postures of arms and legs. His theory is quite different from that of psychoanalysis. Perhaps he does not know Psychoanalysis exists, but his findings lead to the same conclusion.Don't refute our theory just because women can dream of flying high; know that the purpose of dreams is to satisfy desires; and women often have the desire to become men unconsciously.And if you are familiar with anatomy, you will not assume that women cannot have the same feelings as men to fulfill this desire, because the female genitals have a small part called the clitoris that is identical to the penis, and it is connected to the penis during childhood and before sexual intercourse. occupy the same position. Some masculine symbols such as the reptile and the fish, and especially the snake as well-known symbols, are more difficult to grasp.It is more difficult to understand why hats and coats can also be used as such symbols, but their symbolic meaning is not in question.As for whether the hands and feet representing male genitals can also be called symbols, it is not without doubt.But judging from its relationship with shoes, socks and gloves, it has to be regarded as one of the symbols. Female genitalia is symbolized by everything that has space and containment, such as pits and cavities, jars and bottles, various large and small boxes, cabinets, safes, pockets, etc.Boats also fall into this category.There are many symbols that refer to the uterus rather than to other reproductive organs: such as cupboards, stoves, and especially rooms.The symbol of the room is here connected with the symbol of the house, and the portal represents the vulva.Various materials such as wood and paper and their manufactures such as tables and books are also symbols of women.As far as animals are concerned, snails and mussels are definitely symbols of women; as far as body parts are concerned, the mouth represents vulva; as far as buildings are concerned, churches and chapels are symbols of women.You know that all these symbols are understood in varying degrees of difficulty. Breasts are also sexual organs; female breasts and arms are symbolized by apples, peaches and fruits in general.The pubic hair of both sexes is forest bamboo in the dream.The complex parts of female organs are often compared to landscapes with rocks, trees, and water; while the structure of male organs is often symbolized as various complex and indescribable machines. Another notable symbol of female genitalia is the jewelry box, and "pearl" and "baby" can also represent lovers in dreams, and candy is often used to symbolize the pleasure of sexual intercourse.Satisfaction from one's own genitals is exemplified by various games, such as playing the piano.Masturbation is metaphorized by sliding, slipping and breaking branches, all of which are typical.It should be noted that masturbation symbolizes tooth loss or tooth extraction, and its essence refers to castration as punishment for masturbation.As for the special symbols of sexual intercourse, there are not as many as we would expect, but rhythmic activities such as dancing, riding, mountain climbing, etc., as well as violent treatment, such as being trampled by horseshoes and being threatened with weapons, can be cited here. Wait. Do not think that the use and interpretation of these symbols are simple; in fact, what you encounter in every respect is often unexpected.Incredibly, for example, the symbols used by the sexes are often interchangeable.There are many symbols that can be used to represent both males and females: for example, a little baby, a little boy, or a little girl.Sometimes masculine symbols are used to refer to female genitals, and feminine symbols to male genitals.This is not easy to understand unless we have some idea of ​​the development of the human concept of sex.In some cases, the symbolism seems ambiguous, but it is not; most notably, weapons, pockets, cabinets, etc. are always monosexual, not interchangeable. Now please start from the symbol itself, not from the thing symbolized, to show the origin of sexual symbols, and explain a little bit about symbols with less obvious meanings.Such a symbol may be exemplified by the fedora, or by all hats; although the hat sometimes has a feminine meaning, it often has a masculine meaning.In the same way, the meaning of coat is man, although sometimes it refers specifically to genitals.What is the reason for this, you are of course free to ask.The drooping bow tie, which is not worn by women, is obviously a symbol of men; while shirts and underwear are often symbols of women.Clothes, uniforms, are symbols of nudity, as has been said above; shoes and slippers, genitalia.The table and the wood as symbols of femininity are convoluted but believable.The act of climbing a ladder, mountain or building is clearly a sign of sexual intercourse.The nature of the rhythm and the increase of excitement—like the shortness of breath of a climber as he ascends—are the same, as can be seen on careful reflection. We already know that the female genitalia can be compared to the landscape, and the mountain rock is the symbol of the male genitalia; while the garden is often a symbol of the female genitalia, and the fruit refers to the breast, not to the child.People with sensual excitement and lust are compared to beasts, and flowers represent female genitals, especially those of virgins.On this level, you have to remember that the flower is originally the reproductive organ of the plant. The symbolism of the room is what we already know.This symbol can also be expanded, so doors and windows, that is, the entrance and exit of the room, are used to refer to the vulva; the meaning of opening and closing the room can be analogized: the key to open the room is a symbol of masculinity. This is a bit of material for studying the symbolic role of dreams; it is of course incomplete, and it can be expanded and deepened at the same time.But I thought that was enough; you may be deeply offended and think: "Am I really living among sexual symbols? Is everything around me, everything I wear, shoes and hats and everything I touch are just Is it a sexual symbol?" These questions are indeed not without reason: the dreamer does not say a word about the symbols in the dream, so how can we figure out the meaning of these symbols? My reply is that our sources of knowledge are vast: fairy tales and myths, jokes and jests, folk tales, rumors of the customs, customs, proverbs, and songs of peoples, and poetry and common sayings.Everywhere the same symbols are found in these aspects, and many of their meanings are naturally understood and self-evident.If we examine each of these sources separately, we see that it has so much in common with the symbolism of dreams that we are compelled to believe that our interpretation is correct. We have said that, according to Scherner, people often use houses as their symbols in dreams; if this meaning is expanded, windows, doors, and small households can all be symbols of the entrances and exits of the body cavity, and the front of the house can also be used as symbols. May be smooth or have balconies and ledges.The same symbols are found in colloquialism, for example, hair and felt hats.In anatomy, all the entrances and exits of the body are called "houses" or "doors", such as vulva and pylorus. Parents become emperors and queens in a dream: It is strange to hear it for the first time, but there is indeed a parallel fact in fairy tales.Many fairy tales begin by saying: "Once upon a time there was a king and a queen." Don't we know that it simply means "Once upon a time there was a father and a mother"?In terms of family life, the son is sometimes called the son, and the eldest son is called the prince.The king is called "the father of the common people".Sometimes children are jokingly called small animals, such as "little frogs" in a county in southwestern England in Cornwall, and "little worms" in Germany. They love children and call them "poor little worms". Now let's go back to the symbol of the house.The protruding parts of the house can be used for climbing in the dream, which coincides with a famous German saying, which says about a woman with particularly developed breasts: "She has a place for us to climb." The same saying as this: "She has a lot of wood in front of her house", we once said that wood is a symbol of a female mother, and it seems to be proved from here. There is much more to be said on the subject of wood.Why wood represents a woman or a mother is not easy to understand, but here we can use the languages ​​​​of various countries to compare.The German word Holz, which means wood, comes from the same root as the Greek word υλη, which means raw material.It is not uncommon for the general name of raw materials to become the noun of special materials.Now there is an island in the Atlantic Ocean called Madeira.This name was decided when the Portuguese discovered the island, because there were dense forests on the island at that time, and the Portuguese word for "wood" was madeira.However, you always know that the word madeira is just a variant of the Latin word materia, and materia also means raw material. Materia comes from mater, which means mother, and the raw materials used to make any item can be regarded as the biological mother of that item.So to say that wood is a symbol of a woman or a mother, we just use the ancient meaning of this word. To express childbirth is often done in relation to water: such as entering or exiting water, that is to say that one gives birth or one is born oneself.Let us not forget the fact that this symbol actually refers to double evolution.Not only did all land animals from which man descended evolve from aquatic animals--a fact that is more distantly related--but every mammal, every human being, experiences its first life in water-- - That is to say, as an embryo, it lives in the amniotic fluid of the mother's uterus - so it is out of the water during childbirth.Of course I do not claim that the dreamer knew this; nor do I think it necessary for him to know it.Maybe he heard it when he was a child, but I don't think it has anything to do with the composition of symbols.The children heard in the nursery that the baby was brought by the stork, but where did the stork get the baby?From a pool or well—that's out of the water again.I had a patient who, as a child, was a little earl when he heard this, and then he did not know where he went, and he was not found all afternoon, and when he was found, he was lying by the lake in his house, watching staring at the water, wanting to see the baby at the bottom. Ranke has made a comparative study of the birth of heroes in mythology, in which - first King Sargon of Akkad, about 2800 BC - abandoning children in water and rescuing children out of water Two things occupy an important position.Ranke knew that this was a symbol of childbirth in the same way as in the dream.Whoever dreams of saving a man from the water thinks that this is his mother, or anyone's mother; and in mythology the one who saves a child from the water always considers himself to be the child's real mother.There is a joke that a bright Jewish child was asked who Moses' biological mother was, and the child said "princess."The man said, "No, the princess just took the child out of the water." The child said, "That's what she said", so he explained the myth quite well. Going on a journey is a symbol of dying in a dream; similarly, in a nursery, if a child asks where a dead person has gone, the nurses routinely tell him that the person has gone "far away."Poets also use the same symbol; they say that the land of death is "the land of nothingness from which travelers can never return once they arrive." In daily conversation, death is often compared to "the last journey." Knowing the ancient rites, one knows that funeral ceremonies are very grand. For example, in ancient Egypt, the so-called "Book of the Dead" was often given to the mummy as a guide for its final journey.Since there is always a considerable distance between the cemetery and the houses of the living, the final journey of the dead becomes a reality. Sexual symbols do not belong only to dreams, either.You always know that sometimes you insult women and jokingly call it "bedding", but no one knows that this is a symbol of genitals. The "New Testament" says: "A woman is a weaker vessel."The holy books of the Jews have a poetic style and a lot of sexual symbols. These symbols are not often understood, so their commentaries, such as in "Song of Solomon", have caused many misunderstandings.In later Hebrew literature, a house is often used as a metaphor for a woman, and a door is used as a metaphor for the entrance and exit of the genitals; for example, if a man finds out that his wife is no longer a virgin, he says, "I found that the door has been opened." The table is a symbol of a woman. Also found in Hebrew literature; as a woman says of her husband, "I set the table for him, but he overturned it." Lame children are said to be lame because the man "overturned the table" .I am quoting these from Levy of Brunn's book: Sexual Symbolism in the Bible and the Talmud. The belief that ship means woman in a dream is also held by etymologists, who say that the German word for Schiff 'ship' originally means a vessel made of clay, which is the same word as Schaff, which means barrel or wooden vessel .As for the stove, which means the womb of a woman or mother, it can also be proved from the story of Periander in Corinth, Greece, and his wife Melissa.According to Herodotus' translation, the tyrant loved his wife very much, but he killed her out of jealousy. After killing her, he saw his wife's shadow, and he ordered the shadow to tell about her, so the dead woman The person who identified her said that he Priandre "put his buns in a cold furnace."This is a cryptic phrase that cannot be understood by a third party.In addition, Anthropophytcia, Anthropophytcia, edited by Klaus, is a must-read book for studying the sexual life of various nationalities. This book says that some Germans said when talking about delivering a woman, "Her furnace has been shattered." ’” Fire-making and all things related to making a fire contain sexual symbols, with the flame representing the male genitals and the stove or stove the woman’s womb. If you are surprised that the female genitals are often symbolized by mountain and forest scenes in dreams, then you will know from the mythology the place that the phrase "Mother Eeath" occupied in ancient religious rituals, and the whole concept of agriculture. be governed by this symbol.As for the use of a room in a dream to represent a woman, its origin can be traced back to German colloquialism; in German, Frauenzimmer (that is, a woman's room) represents Frau (that is, a woman), that is to say, a person can be represented by the house in which she lives. .Another example is the Porte Turkish court, which means the Sultan and his government, and the Egyptian king Pharaoh in ancient times only had the meaning of "big court".The court between the double gates of the ancient East was a meeting place, like the market place in Greco-Roman times.But this inference of traceability seems superficial. In my opinion, the reason why a room symbolizes a woman is because it has the nature of "people live in it".We already know that house has this meaning; from myth and poetry, we can also use towns, castles, forts, and forts as symbols of women.This can now be proved by studying the dreams of non-German and non-German speakers.Most of the patients I have treated in recent years are foreigners. According to my memory, their dreams also use houses to represent women, although there is no equivalent word for the German word Frauenzimmer in their language.There is another layer, that symbols can go beyond the boundaries of language, which was advocated by the former dream researcher Schubert in 1862.All my foreign patients, however, knew a little German, so the question had to be left to the final judgment of the analysts who analyzed foreign patients who knew no German but only their native language. There is not a single phallic symbol that is missing from jokes, sayings, or poetry, especially Greek and Latin poetry.But we not only see these symbols in dreams, but also in various implements, especially the plow.As for the symbols of male genitalia, the scope is so wide and there are so many debates, it is best to leave it alone in order to save time.I just want to say a few words about the number three.Whether this number is regarded as sacred because of its symbolic significance, needless to say, but there are many natural objects composed of three parts, such as clover leaves, etc., which are used in coats of arms and coat of arms because of their symbolic significance. Inside.Or the so-called "French" three-petaled lily and the strange coat of arms "trisceles" [a three-legged kneeling figure emanating from a central point] common to both Sicily and the Isle of Man. At that time, it was believed that the image of the genitals was a powerful tool for avoiding disasters; now all amulets may also be considered as sexual symbols.This kind of talisman is mostly made of small silver hanging ornaments, such as four-leaf clover, pig, mushroom, horseshoe, long ladder, smoke sweeper and so on.The four-leaf clover is used to replace the three-leaf clover. As a symbol, the three-leaf is of course more suitable; the pig is a symbol of abundance in ancient times; the mushroom is obviously a symbol of the penis. There is a mushroom that is similar to a penis, so its scientific name is Phallus impudicus The outline of a horseshoe is similar to a woman's vulva; and the sweeping chimney and its long ladder are symbols of sexual intercourse, because most people often compare sexual intercourse with sweeping chimneys.See "Sex Life of Different Nationalities" and we already know that the long ladder into the dream is a symbol of sex: from the perspective of idioms, the word Steigen [meaning "ascension"] has a real meaning of sex, for example: Den Frauennachsteigen [meaning nail tip woman] and ein altersteiger [meaning old Deng disciple].The French word for progress is lamar-che, and the meaning of unvieux marcheur is also the old apprentice.This association may be grounded in the fact that in many large animals the male ascends on the female's back during coitus. Branch breaking is a symbol of masturbation, not only because the action of breaking branches is like masturbation, but also in mythology, there are many similarities between the two.However, special attention should be paid to the loss or extraction of teeth as a symbol of masturbation or its punishment, that is, castration; the same thing is also in national stories, but the dreamer is seldom aware of it.I think the circumcision ceremony of many peoples is a substitute for castration.Recently, it has become known that several primitive tribes in Australia hold a circumcision ceremony when they come of age, that is, congratulations to the boy's coming of age, while other nearby tribes perform the tooth extraction ceremony instead. I will end with these examples.These are only examples; the material collected would be richer and more interesting if it were collected not by ignorant people like us, but by real experts in mythology, anthropology, linguistics, ethnology , and our understanding of this issue will definitely be more.However, the conclusion we have to draw is not without the disadvantage of missing everything, but it is still enough for us to think about. In the first place, although the dreamer can express a symbol, he knows nothing of this symbol, and even cannot recognize it when he is awake.This fact is as strange as if you were suddenly surprised to learn that your maid knows Sanskrit, although you know she grew up in a village in Bohemia and never learned it.This fact is of course not easy to reconcile with our psychology.We can only say that all the dreamer's knowledge of symbols is unconscious, attached to his unconscious psychic life; but even this assumption does not help us much.We used to assume only the existence of unconscious tendencies, temporarily unknown or permanently unknown; Often replaces another idea.These comparisons are not new materials every time, but ready-made materials that can be used at any time; why do we see it?For all peoples, despite their different languages, use exactly the same comparison. Where did the knowledge of this symbol come from?The habits of speech constitute only a small part of this source of knowledge, and other comparable facts are largely unknown to the dreamer; therefore we must first arrange this material. Secondly, that the relation of these symbols is not peculiar to dreams, for we already know that the same symbols are found in myths and fairy-tales, as well as in proverbs, folk songs, prose, and poetry.The range of symbols is very wide; the symbols of the dream constitute only a small part; so that we cannot proceed from the dream to the whole problem of symbolism.We already know that many symbols are frequently found elsewhere, but are not found in dreams, or are seen only infrequently in dreams;Therefore, we deeply feel that symbolism is a form of expression that is used in the past and used in the present, and the fragments of this form have changed slightly in various aspects.I can't help thinking of a very interesting fantasy of a mental patient; he thought that there must be a so-called "primitive language" in the world, and all these symbols are relics of this primitive language. Thirdly, you must think that other symbols are not limited to sexual issues, but why are the symbols of dreams all representative objects and sexual relationships?This is again difficult to explain.Can we assume that symbols originally belonging to sex were later used in other ways, or that the symbolism in this way was reduced to other ways of expression?Obviously, none of these questions can be answered on the basis of dream symbols alone; we can only assert that real symbols have a special affinity with sex. On this level, we would do well to consult a linguist, Sperber of Uppsala, whose work has not been influenced by psychoanalysis, and which, in his opinion, is of the utmost importance in the origin and development of language. status.He said that the earliest sounds of animals in evolution were tools to summon partners of the opposite sex. In later development, the elements of language became the sounds accompanied by primitive people's work.This rhythmic sound is associated with work, so the work also has a sexual interest.So primitive people seem to use work as a substitute for sexual activity and make work more enjoyable.The sound of words produced during work has a double meaning, on the one hand, it is related to the sexual act, and on the other hand, it is related to the substitute or labor of the sexual act.Over time, the pronunciation gradually lost its sexual meaning and original usage.A few generations later, the same was true of another new word with a sexual meaning, so this word was also used in a new aspect of work.As a result, many basic words were born, which originally belonged to sex, but later lost their meaning of sex.If this is true, we have at least to use it as a possibility for understanding dreams.The dream retains a part of these primitive situations, so we can understand why there are so many sexual symbols in the dream, why weapons and tools replace the male, and why materials and things represent the female.Therefore, the symbolic relationship can also be regarded as the same last meaning of the ancient words; for example, things that once had the same name as genitals in ancient times can now appear in dreams as symbols of genitals. Furthermore, all our parallels with dream-symbolism may enable you to understand why psychoanalysis is of general interest, whereas psychology and psychiatry are not; Studies, folklore, ethnopsychology, and religion—there is a close relationship, and the results of the research give valuable conclusions to these disciplines.You should not be surprised to hear that a psychoanalyst has written a book with the sole purpose of promoting these relationships.我指的是《初恋对象》lmago，它在１９１２年初版，编者为萨克斯和兰克。精神分析和其他学科的关系，是施多于受。精神分析所有看来令人惊奇的结果虽受其他方面的证实而大有收获；但是总起来说，正是精神分析给这些学科提供了有实效的研究方法和观点。人类个体的精神生活接受精神分析的研究，其所产生的结果可用来解决人群的许多生活之谜，或者至少也可给这些问题以解决的希望。 至于对那假定的所谓“原始语言”或以此为主要表示的精神病究竟如何可以有深切的了解，我却尚未提起。只要你们不知道这一层，就不能领会这整个问题的真义。神经病的材料可求之于神经病患者的症候和他种表示方式，精神分析就是要对这些现象加以解释和治疗。 第四个观点使我们回到原来的出发点而将旧话重提。我们曾说梦者即使没有梦的检查作用，梦的解释也很不容易，因为那时我们须将梦的象征译为日常的语言。象征作用因此乃是梦的化装的第二个独立因素，和检查作用并存。检查作用也乐于利用象征，这个结论是显而易见的，因为二者的共同目的是使梦变得奇异而难解。 在对梦作进一步研究之后，可否发现化装作用的又一因素，我们立即可以知道。但是在结束梦的象征作用的问题之前，势必再提一下这个奇怪的事实，就是，神话，宗教，艺术，语言虽毫无疑问地充满象征，但是梦的象征作用却引起受教育者的强烈反对。这不又是因为象征和性的关系这一原因引起的吗？