Who proposed the Threat Simulation Theory (TST)?

• A. Antti Revonsuo
• B. Sigmund Freud
• C. Carl Jung
• D. Alan Hobson

Answer: (A)

Threat Simulation Theory holds that dreaming evolved as a safe arena to rehearse responses to threatening situations. By repeatedly simulating dangers, the dreamer practices threat recognition, decision-making, and action patterns, which can strengthen real-world survival skills. Antti Revonsuo, a Finnish researcher, proposed this idea, arguing that dream content is often threat-related and that dreaming provides an adaptive training ground for handling danger. This contrasts with other theories: Freud viewed dreams as expressions of wishes, Jung emphasized archetypal imagery from the collective unconscious, and Hobson’s Activation-Synthesis theory suggests dreams arise from random brain activation that the brain then interprets. In short, Revonsuo ties dream content to an evolved function of threat rehearsal that could improve waking-life responses to danger.