Calvin S. Hall, Jr

Calvin S. Hall, Jr. (1909-1985) focuses his study of dreams on the content, aptly referred to as content analysis. Because dreams are in essence thoughts, it is a cognitive process. Dreams provide a map or route to the inaccessible regions in your mind, otherwise known as the unconscious. Hall believes dreams are the best way to discovering personal thoughts and to explain your behavior. Dreams reveal things about yourself, not hide them. Hall categorizes dreams into one of five principle areas of life.

1. Concepts of Self refer to the types or number of roles you play in your dreams.

2. Concepts of other people are the roles other people play in your dreams. Consider your feelings toward them and how you interact with them. 

3. Concepts of the world represent the dream surrounding and landscape. The adjectives you use to describe your dreamscape is how you view the world. 

4. Concepts of impulses, prohibitions and penalties indicate your behavior and how it is ruled by impulses and punishment.

5. Concepts of problems and conflicts symbolize your struggles, issues and problems you are facing in your waking life. These dream try to offer insight and resolution to your conflicts.

By utilizing these five concepts, Hall believes that you will be able to analyze the dream content and trace your way toward the inner workings of your unconscious.