Typical examination dreams, "superego dreams," and traumatic dreams

Typical examination dreams fulfill, in disguised form, a wish to be reassured about the future. Similar disguised wish fulfillments can be identified in certain "superego dreams" and in those post-traumatic dreams in which a traumatic event is accurately re-enacted. Recognition of the wish and the need for disguise permits a fuller picture of the dreamer's immediate conflicts to emerge. Vignettes are presented to illustrate the implications for clinical work. The concepts of the repetition compulsion and a motivation toward mastery in dreaming are considered in light of these observations.