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Recognizing that the view of what is important in the dream has changed from Freud's original conception, the author advances the thesis that the manifest content of the dream reveals significant information about the state of the self. Further, this state and its changes may be monitored over time through an examination of what is metaphorically shown in the manifest content. Gabel briefly reviews the traditional psychoanalytic view of dreaming based on the theory of wish fulfillment and the conflict arising between different agencies of the mind over these wishes. He then describes the views of the Jungian school of Analytic Psychology and the self state theory of dreaming, both of which de-emphasize defensive operations and distortion in dreams. What they do emphasize is the manifest content and the metaphorical representation in dreams of the individual's psychological state or attitudes. According to these theories, the function of dreams is to monitor or evaluate the dreamer's psychological condition in a variety of states such as developmental, integrative, and regressive. Further, dreams are thought to involve development, maintenance or regulation, and restoration of psychic processes and organization. In the discussion Gabel focuses on the basic tenets and assumptions required for a self state monitoring theory of dreams, and describes the supporting empirical and clinical studies involved.