The interpretation of dreams german die traumdeutung is an 1899 book by sigmund freud the founder of psychoanalysis in which the author introduces his theory of the unconscious with respect to dream interpretation and discusses what would later become the theory of the oedipus complex. The interpretation of dreams was intended as an expedient to facilitate the psychological analysis of the neuroses but since then a profounder understanding of the neuroses has contributed towards the comprehension of the dream the doctrine of dream interpretation itself has evolved in a direction which was. Freud called dream interpretation the royal road to the unconscious it is the kings highway along which everyone can travel to discover the truth of unconscious processes for themselves the interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind. First published in 1899 sigmund freuds groundbreaking book the interpretation of dreams explores why we dream and why dreams matter in our psychological lives delving into theories of manifest and latent dream content the special language of dreams dreams as wish fulfillments the significance of childhood experiences and much more freud offers an incisive and enduringly relevant