The Purposive Self and the Dreaming Mind

The Self and the Dream will be explored as they intersect along the axis of an inherent developmental purpose within the psyche. This function of purpose manifests as a series of processes that move the personality toward integration, psychological healing, and ongoing development. Psychoanalytic theory of the self will be reviewed to bring into relief these purposive processes in relation to other aspects of self. Psychoanalytic dream theory will be studied, beginning with Freud’s model, and continuing to the present in order to uncover the ways in which the dream manifests as a function of these purposive processes. Through these explorations, Jungian ideas on the self and the dream will be interwoven to illuminate further the theoretical and experiential foundations for building a model of a purposive self.