THE REAL CONTEXT OF THE DREAM
Our constant consideration should be for the fact,
emphasized by William James, that there is "no recall
without a cue."
[29] Here we have a scratching sensation
provoked by a mouse as the immediate and demonstrated
cue. The images that followed in serial response, proved
upon investigation to have been wholly derived from a certain
conversation with Dr. X., the night before. The subject
had been reflex-action and especially the scratch-reflex
of the guinea-pig
[30] as investigated by Sherrington; we
had discussed also the attempts of other authors to explain
the higher mental functions in terms of
reflex-action.
[31]
My own preference for such studies as applied to the explanation
of dreams had been touched upon. This preference
had in turn been contrasted with the fact that I was at the
time of the dream called upon to spend much time studying
histological specimens through the microscope. Incidentally,
I told him that this was bad for my eyes, and likewise, I
had complained that his dreams were not written out clearly
enough to suit my purpose to study them carefully. Such
interest had been aroused in the subject of reflexology, that
Dr. X. and I had stayed up late that night discussing it.
A study of the dream in the light of these facts will
show how perfectly the dreaming mind appears to have
"taken advantage of" them—in reality following cues along
the lines of least resistance.
