Abstract
ABSTRACT In this paper, newly uncovered archival material from the Bowlby archives is presented on Bowlby’s own dreams and dream interpretation. Although he was critical of orthodox psychoanalysis, Bowlby appears to have been seriously involved in Freudian dream interpretation in the 1930s and 1940s. Here, we present in annotated form his own interpretations of several of his dreams from that time and a series of lectures on dreams. In Attachment and Loss, classic dream interpretation is absent and Bowlby used the content of dreams as a reflection of the influence of real-life experiences on the representations of attachment relations, with a clear focus on grief, loss, and mourning. Bowlby’s shift from psychoanalysis to a more behavioral approach and the introduction of the concept of “defensive exclusion” to supplant Freud’s concept of “repression” may have led him to think about how grief and mourning may affect the content of our dreams.
Highlights
In contemporary attachment research, it is not uncommon to use dreams as a subject of research
In recent years, several papers addressing dream narratives and dream content have been published in this journal
Analysis and for at least some time afterwards Bowlby engaged in psychoanalytic dream interpretation
Summary
It is not uncommon to use dreams as a subject of research. ATTACHMENT & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT analysis and for at least some time afterwards Bowlby engaged in psychoanalytic dream interpretation. Bowlby’s texts reflect more than a private episode in his life; they show that for a considerable period – starting from his training analysis with Joan Riviere from approximately 1930 to 1937 and extending to at least World War II – Bowlby was seriously engaged in psychoanalytic dream interpretation, something which was not known and is not reflected in his published writings. It could mean that Mrs T. was available for sexual pleasure to Cambridge students and would explain Bowlby’s comment that such things are allowed, whereas he is not allowed to sleep with Rose I am afraid of Mop’s interest in my sexual life
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