Criticisms

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- This theory is considered too subjective. Dream interpretation is very open to opinion. People can be told the same description of a dream but have different ways of explaining it meaning.

- Freud's dream theory is difficult to test. This is partly because its concepts are not objective enough and partly due to the fact that dreams cannot be easily verified (how do we know people are accurately recalling their dreams?). A big part of this theory relies on the unconscious mind, yet this cannot be observed or asked about.

- The theory is based on unreliable research. The evidence is mainly from case studies and so making generalisations about the meaning of dreams for all may not be fair.

- The theory has a narrow interpretation of dreams. It only relates them to wish fulfilment, and then it is mainly about sex and aggression. It is also hard to accept that nightmares have much to do with wish fulfilment.

-The theory can be accused of cultural and historical bias. Freud's themes may have represented culture at the time however, people have more liberal attitudes towards sex.