Emotional selection is a psychological theory of dreaming that describes dreams as modifiers and tests of mental schemas to better meet waking human needs. It was introduced by Richard Coutts in 2008 and extended in 2010. According to emotional selection, during non-REM sleep, the mind processes dreams with content intended to improve the ability of mental schemas. For example, individuals struggling with self-perceptions of incompetence may process dreams in which they successfully navigate complex situations, those who struggle to meet belongingness needs may have dreams of entering a partner relationship, and so forth. The theme of the non-REM dream is tentatively accommodated by mental schemas. Because schemas coexist as a network, accommodations can introduce accidental, maladaptive c