Police, Military

The police (and military) represent collective order, social rules, and general morality—the “conventional consciousness.” An inner police force, for example, may strive to correct the dreamer’s unique traits if they are, in some way, socially unacceptable (according to the dreamer).  

On the other hand, the dream-ego might be the one seeking to make things right with the “police.” One might dream of bandits running amok and calling the police to restore order. This can be seen as the dreamer’s habit of suppressing disruptive content from the unconscious—compensatory impulses that could be productive and creative if the dreamer approached them with curiosity instead of restoring order by invoking prevailing authority.  

The fear of “getting caught” in dreams sometimes refers to a conflict between external and internal expectations; one’s inner moral compass may clash with the opinions and preferences of others.  

The police, like the military, wear uniform that make them impersonal. They aim to uphold a collective agreement or impose their collectivism on another party. In this way, they symbolize conformity and pose a threat to individuality. This explains our tendency to view criminals as heroes, as they may represent individuality, according to our projections.  

The role of the police in dreams can also represent something more positive—for example, correcting something we’re doing wrong. Deviating from the collective norm can also be negative, such as harming oneself or others. At least for honest people, the police are a great help.  

Soldiers are strictly organized in a pronouncedly masculine environment, which can evoke the father as an archetypal image. Another characteristic of the military is that it is not only a collective environment where one is expected to submit and be selfless but also one that is (potentially) extremely aggressive.  

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