In the early part of the 19th century dream interpretation had fallen out of fashion and almost no one practiced this art seriously. In the early part of the century dreams were thought to have no meaning at all and to be simply the result of a heavy meal before bedtime, noises heard in the night, and other trivial causes.

By the latter part of the 19th century however, Sigmund Freud would revolutionize the world of dreams and dream interpretation with his radical new ideas incorporating dreams and deep seated childhood fears.

Born in 1865, Sigmund Freud revolutionized the world of psychiatry and dream interpretation with his seminal work “The Interpretation of Dreams”. Freud started to analyze the dreams of his patients and he used this dream analysis to diagnose and treat their psychiatric ills.

Freud also studied dreams as a way to understand certain aspects of the personality especially those aspects that lead to psychological problems and disorders. Freud believed that nothing that human beings did happened by chance and that every action, no matter how small or seemingly trivial, was at some level motivated by the unconscious mind.

Of course in order for a civilized, modern society to function certain primal needs and desires must be repressed and Freud’s theory was that these repressed urges and desires were released by the unconscious during dream sleep.

Doctor Freud saw dreams as a direct connection to the unconscious mind and he studied that connection through the interpretation of symbolic objects found in dreams. The theory was that with the conscious mind acts as a guard on the unconscious preventing certain repressed feelings from coming to the surface. During sleep however, this conscious guard is absent and the subconscious mind is free to run wild and express its most hidden desires.

Freud was especially interested in the sexual content of dreams and he often saw ordinary objects in dreams as representations of sexual desire. To Freud every long, slender item encountered in a dream, from a knife to a flagpole, was a phallic image while any receptacle such as a bowl or vase represented the female genitalia.

Freud believed in five stages of personality and he saw dreams as manifestations of desired stemming from each of these five stages. To Freud personality formation consisted of:

Stage One – Oral/Dependency
Freud’s theory was that any needs not satisfied during the oral/dependency stage would cause the person to go through life trying to meet them. Thus, to Freud habits such as overeating, drinking to much and smoking were all oral fixations. People suffering from these oral fixations often dreamed about their unmet needs and desires.

Stage Two – Anal/Potty Training
Freud held that improper potty training could traumatize a child and cause him or her to become anal retentive, rigid and controlling. Such traumatized children often develop obsessive compulsive disorders as well. Recurring dreams of being out of control, such as dreams of falling were common in such people.

Stage Three – Phallic
According to Freud the personality is completely developed by the time stage three rolls around. The third stage of personality is identified with the Oedipus and Electra complexes. The Oedipus complex represents the love a male child feels toward the mother, coupled with fear and jealousy of the male parent. The Electra complex is the female version of Oedipus in which the female child feels anger toward the mother and develops “penis envy.”

Stage Four – Latency
Unlike the other stages the latency period is a time of relative calm. During this stage, the aggression and sexual urges are less intense and little psycho-sexual conflict is exhibited.

Stage Five – Genital
This is the period of sexual maturity and the creation and enhancement of life. The stage of sexual maturity is where reproduction, intellectual activity and artistic pursuits take place.

Freud believed that wish fulfillment was the source of dreams and that dreamers used dreams as a way to satisfy the fixations they had developed during childhood. In addition, issues like power and control frequently manifested themselves in dreams. The central part of Freud’s dream theory was that thoughts and desires repressed during the day were free to run wild during the dream stage.

Since Freud’s death many have criticized him for seeing sexual motivation behind every dream object. Many have pointed out that Freud was born into the sexually repressed Victorian era and his preoccupation with sexual matters could have been as much a product of the times in which he lived as a valid scientific theory. Even so, many of Freud’s dream interpretations have proven valid and are still used by psychologists and dream researchers today.

Are you frustrated with your current position at work? Would you like to advance in your company? If you would like to do so, you may be interested in asking for a promotion. The question is, should you?

When it comes to determining if you should ask for a promotion, it is something that you may not want to do on impulse. Asking from a promotion can work in your favor but there are no guarantees. A promotion request can cause no change or it can cause you harm. For that reason there are a number of factors that you will first want to take into consideration before you ask your boss for a promotion.

One of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration, when determining if you should inquire about a promotion, is an open position. If you want to be promoted, do you even know if there is an open position or one that will soon open? This alone can improve your chances of receiving a promotion as they often say that timing is everything. What you will want to do is keep your eyes and ears open. If you hear of any open positions in your company or if you see job listings online or in your local newspaper, you may want to consider asking your supervisor for a promotion.

Your length of employment is another factor that should be taken into consideration before you make a decision about asking for a promotion. While there are no guarantees, your chances of receiving a promotion are higher with long-term employment. Many companies like to promote from within as well as promote those who have been with the company for an extended period of time. A short employment term doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for a promotion but it is just one of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration.

Your intentions are another factor that you should take into consideration when trying to determine if you should ask your supervisor for a promotion. Are you interested in leaving the company in search of a better job, such as one that may offer better pay or better benefits? If you are interested in doing so you may want to consider asking for a promotion but in a pleasant matter. If you are looking for “greener pastures,” you may have nothing to lose by asking for a promotion. In fact, you may be surprised with the answer that you hear. Many employers will use promotions or higher pay to retain employees who they do not want removed from their team.

Of course, you don’t want to instigate workplace gossip but you may want to see if any other employees have asked for a promotion in the past. Did they see success or were they turned away? Speaking of which, were there any complications that arose from the asking of a promotion? This is important as it may give you an idea as to whether or not you should ask for a promotion. As a reminder, it is important to not take the approach of gossiping to get your information but you may just want to keep your eyes and ears open.

If you do decide that you would like to ask your supervisor for a promotion, you are advised to proceed with caution. Unless you have worked personally with your supervisors before, they may be unaware of your employment status or the tasks that you have completed. You will want to attempt to schedule a meeting with your supervisors. During this meeting you will want to try to sell yourself. Point out your accomplishments and mention how advancement has always been a goal of yours, and so forth.

These are just a few of the many factors that you will want to take into consideration when trying to determine if you should inquire about a promotion. Should you decide to do so, it is advised that you take a pleasant approach and do not get upset or feel offended if your request for a promotion is denied.