Lakoff on Dreams

In 'How Metaphor Structures Dreams: The Theory of Conceptual Metaphor Applied to Dream Analysis ' George Lakoff lays out an analysis of how Conceptual Metaphor Theory might be applied to the interpretation of dreams. Within cognitive science, the unconscious is still the source of dream imagery but this is not the unconscious of Freud or of 'depth' psychology more broadly. Whereas the Freudian unconscious is the place of dangerous and threatening desires, fears, and memories, the cognitive unconscious (or just 'non-conscious processes') consists of all those routine mental operations which go toward the making of sense and the maintenance of the body. Part of this routine non-conscious processing involves 'poetic' strategies such as the use of metaphor, metonymy, conceptual blending, etc. but this is not because of any attempt by the psyche to 'protect' intself from otherwise damaging thoughts by disguising them, but is simply a necessary operation which allows us to understand the otherwise incomprehensible. Where Freud and Lakoff meet, and where the interpretation of dreams comes in, is that whilst most conceptual metaphors are benign and untroubling, some may be very discomforting if they were to become available to conscious awareness. Lakoff gives the example of a metaphor linking sexual potency to SEEING, such that testicles might be represented symbolically as eyes. This metaphor does not exist within language as an idiomatic expression or figure of speech in the way that more innocuous metaphors might, but may appear disguised within myths (as in Oedipus, who puts out his eyes after having sex with his mother), or in dreams.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Sigmund
• Freud
• George
• Lakoff
• metaphor
• psychoanalysis
• dreams
• dream
• analysis
• psychology
• conceptual
• blend
• metanymy

[rgtigar21]

Who is this guy? Why is he out of breath? Why is this interview being done on a walk,, where the birds are a little bit too loud?

He talks about Freud's concept of repression and then talks about "metaphors". He seems a little bit confused. He could benefit from reading Roman Jakobson to clear up his confusions. Jacques Lacan has written years ago about the relation of condenstation and metaphor to displacement and metonymy!

[faunflynn]

I have long thought that the Freudian conception of the unconscious mind does not really exist at all. It's no more than a convenient fiction .Lakoff's take on this stuff strikes me as a far more realistic view. Freud made a lot of stuff up, as did Jung.

The whole notion of Jungian archetypes has always seemed to be just a pretty fable.

Metaphor as substrate is so pervasive that our thoughts are often incapable of seeing it or it's actions, being made up of it themselves.

Good post !