That is why dreams are so important. They operate independently of external, ego-based control:
“As Jung discovered, ‘there are things in the psyche which I do not produce, but which produce themselves and have their own life’—and dreams evidence the independent life of the soul.” (Marchiano, Stewart and Lee, 2024, p. 10).
I am reminded of the caveat introduced during our consideration of Bandura’s self-efficacy being applied to the content of dreams. The “I” is intimately involved in the provision of a pre-dream intention. The Jungians, rightfully, might wonder if the “I” can be trusted. Do we really want to somehow bypass the independence of our dreams?
Conclusions
Ultimately, dreams are meant to do something. For Sigmund Freaud, dreams were meant to allow for the disguised expression of sexuality and release of libidinal energy. More recently, dreams have often been considered to have “Agency.” They are produced to solve problems, explore alternative actions, and envision desirable end points. As I have noted, even Carl Jung considers dreams to be not just about portrayals, they are also about “cleaning up the messes.” Marchiano and her colleagues offer a model of Jungian dreams that differs from that of the Victorian home. Their model offers greater agency (Marchiano, Stewart and Lee, 2024, p. 19-20):
“Moving through life is like driving a car. As you drive, you scan signs, navigate the route, and deal with traffic. In the back seat, an invisible passenger pays attention to every detail, especially what distracts or upsets you. If you and your passenger were asked about the trip. You’d have very different accounts. You might recall road work in progress, beautiful scenery, or a rain squall. Your passenger would reflect on your snacking, whether you were alert or sleepy, and how you dealt with the aggressive driver on Route 20. Your passenger observes your actions and reactions—and comments, comforts and offers course corrections.
The backseat traveler is the dream maker, reporting nightly on your drive through life. The dream maker’s insights can offer instinctual wisdom, provide a new approach to a problem, connect you with an emotional truth—and even put you in touch with a sense of purpose. The dream maker’s reports affect you even if you don’t remember or understand them.”
Perhaps we are more likely to drive a car in our mind and heart than we are to reside in a Victorian mansion. Our challenging world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, turbulence, and contradiction (VUCA-Plus) (Bergquist, 2026a) might best be addressed through the agency of a dream than through its idle portrayal of intrapsychic dynamics. Should we get out our driver’s manual for dreams?
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