Wish Fufillments

A large portion of Freud's explanations of Dreams have to do with wish fulfillment. As human beings, much of our personality, conscience, and unconsciousness are built around the desires to have a wish come true. As with many things, the wishes of children and adults are very different.

When children dream, their dreams are a lot more straightforward. Their wishes and desires are clearer and more easily fulfilled. For instance, in the young female patient who wished that she was tall enough to fill her aunt's bed, she had a dream in which she is too large for the bed. The dream fulfilled her wish. As children, we do not know how to distinguish between reality, hallucinations, and dreams. Thus, when a child desires something such as more time with a parent at bedtime, they only understand that by going to sleep their wish will be fulfilled...