www.idosr.org Umezurike 88 IDOSR JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 4(1): 88-101, 2019. ©IDOSR PUBLICATIONS International Digital Organization for Scientific Research ISSN: 2550-7966 IDOSR JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 4(1): 88-101, 2019. Understanding Dream and its Causes:European and African Continental Experience Grace Umezurike Department of Philosophy and Religion, Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, Nigeria. Email: graceumez@yahoo.com ABSTRACT This research aims at understanding dream, causes and interpretation from an African background as influenced by the African cosmology of spirito-triangulation and as distinguished from the European and American individuocentric cosmology. Using the method of cultural hermeneutics, this paper studies the dynamism in the understanding of causes and interpretations of dreams both in the European and American psychological discoveries and African cosmogony. In the bid to actualize the stated aim, this paper studies the tenets of one irology minding the individuocentric interpretation of western psychologists. Also, the paper studies African intersubjective/triangulation and transcendental interpretations of dreams. Our findings reveal that dream occurs for some reasons such as physical/biological, emotional, mental, spiritual, processes. In the same vein, dream presents opportunity for growth, health, creativity, fear, excitement, adventure, etc. On appraisal, it is obvious that both the Africans to a small extent and Euro- Americans have a unanimous definition of dream from an individuocentric perspective. This occurs mostly during the rapid eye movement (REM) lasting for the intervals of 20- 30minutes. Nevertheless, minding their peculiar culture and traditional religion, the Africans have extra perspectives to dream such as the bidirectional/intersubjective/triangulation and transcendental or mystical perspectives to dream. The implication of the study shows that the poly-polar nature of dream in Africa is warranted by the African cosmology. This cosmology is community oriented and divinely manipulated such that human existence is intersubjectively affective and spiritually controlled by the gods. Unfortunately, this form of cosmology is chiefly responsible for the ongoing deceptions and religious criminality in many parts of Africa today in the guise of dream interpretation. Hence this study would go a long way towards better clarity and to reduce the false interpretations and deception that bedevil dream and dreaming in the African milieu. Keywords: Dream, Africa, triangulation, individuocentric, abuses. INTRODUCTION Understanding dream has been a subject of great concern to philosophical studies, evolutionary psychology, cognitive neuroscience and different world religions. Thus each group vies for superiority in the understanding of dream. In spite of these claims, humanity is still challenged with lots of deep insight to the world of dream and dreaming. These claims testify to the fact that there are different perspectives to the understanding of dream. In an ordinary sense, dream can be said to mean the manifestation of cherished aspiration, ambition or hopes. Philosophy of mind and different fields of psychology define dream as a series of thought, images and sensations occurring in the mind while sleeping or in the state of unconsciousness.