The dream of Irma's injection: a structural analysis.

Lévi-Strauss developed a radically new, structural approach to the analysis of myth that may be adapted for use in the analysis of dreams. The method provides an alternative to psychoanalytic dream interpretation, focusing particularly on the internal dialectic of the dream--the movement from the initial premise to the resolution. This emphasis on the internal coherence and structured development of the dream contrasts strongly with the Freudian piecemeal decoding of dreams. The method is exemplified by analysis of Freud's classic Irma dream; it reveals a structure and message that have hitherto remained obscure. The interpretation connects the dream to Freud's theoretical ideas rather than to his supposed psychosexual fixations.