FATHER

The father represents the archetypal symbol of worldly authority and competence. For a man to dream of a father figure suggests that he may be searching for a role model, whether negative or positive. According to Freud, dreams that feature hostility towards the father figure could be explained by the Oedipus complex. Freud claimed that the ancient Greek myth of Oedipus was a symbolic representation of the psychological development of the male individual. He thought that children between the ages of four and seven went through a phase during which they developed an incestuous desire for the parent of the opposite sex; a young boy would therefore have feelings of resentment towards his father, whom he saw as a rival. Normally the Oedipus complex resolves itself by puberty, but in Freud’s view, the failure to achieve freedom from parental influence could result in the Oedipus complex lasting into later years.

If it does, it should be fairly apparent from the content of some of your dreams, especially if you are attacking, insulting or feeling envious towards your father.

Jung also believed the symbol of the father played a vital psychological role in waking life. He thought that a man dreaming of hostility towards his father was a positive sign, as it showed that the unconscious was dethroning the father so as to enable the dreamer to achieve a sense of self and be a person in his own right. A woman dreaming of a father figure is often dreaming of the pattern upon which all her future relationships are based; her dreams may encourage her to work out a more appropriate way to have mature relationships. The more difficult the relationship with her father, the harder this may be.

For men, a father may represent the conscience, or in Freudian terms, the superego.

If this is the case, bear in mind that your father’s prohibitions and commands will probably represent either conventional moral options that may lack relevance to your true nature or ‘destiny’, or irrational fears and feelings of guilt that began to take shape in early childhood. Of course, a dream about your father may simply express your current feelings for him and issues surrounding your relationship with him. The presence of your father may be a straightforward representation of him, or of the way you see or remember him. In any case, the reason for your father appearing in the dream will be shown by the part he plays in the dream story. For example if, in the dream, your father features as a protector, it may be that you need to ‘grow up’ and rely on your own resources.

The presence of your father in a dream may not be symbolic at all, but a straightforward representation of him, or of the way you see / remember him (which may owe more to your subjective distortions than to what your father actually is or was). In any case, the reason for your father appearing in the dream will be shown by the part he plays in the dream story.

(1) Specially for men, father may be a conscience figure.

If this is the case, bear in mind that your father’s prohibitions and commands will probably represent either conventional moral opinions which may have no relevance to your true nature or ‘destiny5, or irrational fears and feelings of guilt that began to take shape in you in early childhood. (On Oedipus complex)

(2) For a woman, father may figure in a dream as one who generates affection (see Introduction, page 26).

(3) If father features in the dream as a protector, it may be that you need to ‘grow up’ and rely on your own resources. After all, life can hurt you only if you let it, only if you identify with your emotional self instead of with that deep layer of yourself that is immune to life’s pains and perils.

(4) If you dream of your father dying, this may be a wish-fulfilling dream. Feelings of hostility towards parents are common, stemming

from childhood feelings of resentment or envy.

See also Dead / Death, section (3).

(5) Frequent appearances of either parent, or both, in dreams may be a sign that you have not thrown off an infantile over-dependence on them (see (3) above). Jung cites a young man’s dream in which the man’s father appeared as a drunken driver, smashing his car into a wall. This was the exact opposite of the real father, who was a most respectable person, righdy - but too much - respected by the son. What the unconscious was doing through the dream was dethroning the father in order to enable the son to achieve a proper sense of himself as a person in his own right, with his own unique destiny and value.

(6) Father may be an animus figure, representing a woman’s (unconscious) masculine qualities. In this case, the dream may be suggesting that she should cultivate this contrasexual side of her nature. (For animus, see Brother / Sister, section (4))

(7) Father may, if highly respected (and properly so), appear in a dream as a Wise Old Man figure.

See also Wise Old Man) For father represented by an animal, see Animal(s).

The interpretation of a dream whose central image is your father depends largely on the relationship that you have with him in real life. At a simple level, maybe the dream is offering you a bit of “fatherly” advice that you should consider. Or perhaps it refers to the masculine aspect of your personality, encouraging you to be more energetic.

If the father of the dreamer was ineffective as such, the dream may refer to an unconscious search for the father figure. However, if he was too strict, perhaps the dream is warning you not to repeat this behavior with yourself or with your own children. To dream of the death of your father may reflect your desire to break family ties and start being more independent. The father represents command, laws, and rules. In dreams, usually he appears through figures like a king, an emperor, a wise old man, the sun, or a weapon. Therefore, it symbolizes the world of moral precepts and prohibitions that restrain instincts. Thus, in dreams, the father often embodies traditional morality and the principle of authority.

It is no wonder, then, that in adolescence (formative period) it is very common for dreams of the father to appear, often as a hostile, tyrannical figure. According to Jung, this symbol played a crucial psychological role in the development of the individual. In contrast to the mother, which is the protection, security, and tenderness, the father symbolizes values closely linked to the masculine: risk, adventure, struggle, effort, rational inquiry, calculation, etc. In this respect, Freud emphasized the importance of the ancient Greek myth of Oedipus.

If the subject could not be separated properly from parental influence, it triggered a complex. According to his theories, in childhood (especially four to seven years) children experience a stage of incestuous desire for the mother. The complex arises when they do not overcome this stage and begin to harbor feelings of resentment, seeing the father figure as a rival to defeat. However, the Oedipus complex usually resolves itself during puberty. (See EAGLE, AUTHORITY, SWORD, FIRE, LIGHT, and TEACHER)