Mankind
Quarterly, Vol. 47, No. 1 (Fall-Winter 2006)
pp. 61-77
A
Corollary to Revonsuo's "The Reinterpretation
of Dreams"
Wade C.
Mackey
Cy-Fair College
Ronald S. Immerman
Case Western Reserve University
Revonsuo's (2000) reinterpretation of dreams within
an evolutionary framework is reiterated and a corollary
is presented that complements and expands his original
contribution. Revonsuo argues that dreams present
an evolutionary adaptation that allows the sleeper's
nervous system to generate simulations of threatening
situations and to rehearse various tactics or strategies
for dealing with the (simulated) threat. Revonsuo
emphasizes physical threats, for example, dealing
with predators (both two- and four-footed) and physical
dangers such as storms. This article will expand the
simulations to include more of Homo sapiens' ecological
niche wherein successive generations, for success,
would have had to negotiate within the very competitive
social world of their respective communities. Our
ancestors had to negotiate male/male competition and
female/female competition, achieve successful courting,
achieve successful parenting, optimize winning the
co-operation of neighbors and minimize being exploited
by those neighbors. Empirical data from surveys on
dreams' manifest content support this expansion of
Revonsuo's theory.
