[Dream sequences. On the psychodynamic aspects of the dramaturgy of dreams].

Unlike Freud with his emphasis on the defensive function of dreams, the author concentrates on the creative aspect and compares the sequencing of dreams with a quasi-dramaturgical "scenic" organization of experience displaying notable analogies to a theatrical "production". Mentzos proceeds from two working hypotheses: dream sequences are not random but organized, in the sense that they reflect the succession of different life-stages or the presence of conflicting tendencies within the dreamer's mind; hence the order of the various sequence mirrors the "staging" of the various conflicts and the various attempts made to resolve them. The author attempts to substantiate this hypothesis with reference to a number of dreams and dream sequences.