Psychoanalytic contributions to the relationship between dreams and psychosis--a critical survey

The author surveys psychoanalytic contributions to the relationship between dreams and psychosis as well as adding some of his own observations. He uses as his frame of reference questions relating to the similarities between dreams and psychosis, whether there are psychotic dreams and whether dreams may presage psychosis. There seemed to be some general consensus that the answers to these questions were positive, depending upon the frames of reference used, i.e., whether one referred to the topographical or structural model of the mind, the level of ego cathexis, the function of the ego vis-a-vis reality, etc. Most contributors felt that a dream taken out of context from the overall clinical situation would be difficult to evaluate as either presaging or representing a psychosis despite the fact that many dreams may appear which are suggestive.