Identifying Common Dreams and Their Relationship with the Dimensions of Attitude Toward Dreams in Iranian Culture

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. in Psychology, Ahvaz Shahid Chamran University, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Shahid Chamran University, Iran.

3 Professor, Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Shahid Chamran University, Iran.

4 Associate professor, Department of Counseling, Hazrat-e Masoumeh University, Qom, Iran

Abstract

Introductoin: Although dreams are subjective and completely personal experience while sleeping, some themes of dreams are universal and shared by all humans in different cultures. This study aims to identify common dreams and examine their relationship with the dimensions of attitude toward dreams in a sample of the general population of Iranian culture.
Method: For this purpose, 720 Iranian people (17-63 years), were selected by voluntary sampling method in the study.  They participated by completing questionnaires about common dreams and attitudes towards dreams on the website of this research. Data were analyzed using Canonical correlation in SPSS-24 software.
Results: "Seeing a dead person alive", "Sexual experiences" and "Being chased without physical harm" were the most frequent dream themes, respectively. The results of the canonical correlation showed that the relationship between the canonical variable of attitude toward dreams and the canonical variable of typical dreams is 0.57 (p<0.001). Also, 0.62 of the variance of the components of common dreams is explained by the dimensions of the attitude towards the dream.
Discussion and Conclusion: The results of the canonical analysis with 99% probability confirm the existence of a correlation between the two sets of attitudes toward dreams and the components of common dreams, which indicates that intra-psychological variables such as attitude can make an individual difference even in common aspects of dreams. Therefore, they should be considered in the study of common dreams

Keywords


  1.  Sikka P. Dream affect: Conceptual and methodological issues in the study of emotions and moods experienced in dreams. Ph.D disertation, department of psychology, university of Turku. 2019.

    1. Schredl M. Researching Dreams: The Fundamentals. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. 2018.
    2. Yu CKC. Dream motif scale – short form. Sleep and Hypnosis. 2018;20(1): 8–16.
    3. Freud S. The interpretation of dreams. In J.Strachey (Ed. Trans.), The standard edition of the complete works of Sigmund Freud (pp. 1–627). London, England: Vintage. 1900.
    4. Yu CKC. Classification of typical dream themes and implications for dream interpretation. Neuropsychoanalysis. 2016; 18(2):133–146.
    5. Gahagan L. Sex differences in recall of stereotyped dreams, sleep-talking, and sleep-walking. The Pedagogical Seminary and Journal of Genetic Psychology. 1936; 48: 227-236.
    6. Griffith RM, Miyagi O, Tago A. Universality of typical dreams: Japanese vs. Americans. American Anthropologist. 1958; 60:1173–1179.
    7. Nielsen TA, Zadra AL, Simard V, Saucier S, Stenstrom P, Smith C, et al. The typical dreams of Canadian university students. Dreaming. 2003; 13: 211-235.
    8. Schredl M, Ciric P, Götz S, Wittmann L. Typical dreams: Stability and gender differences. Journal of Psychology: Interdisciplinary and Applied. 2004; 138: 485-494.
    9. Yu CKC. Typical dreams experienced by Chinese people. Dreaming. 2008; 18: 1-10.
    10. Yu CKC. Paranoia in dreams and the classification of typical dreams. Dreaming. 2009; 19: 255-272.
    11. Yu CKC. Recurrence of typical dreams and the instinctual and delusional predispositions of dreams. Dreaming. 2010; 20: 254-279.
    12. Yu CKC. The constancy of typical dreams. Asia Pacific Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy. 2011; 2: 51– 70.
    13. Yu CKC. Dream Motif Scale. Dreaming. 2012; 22: 18-52.
    14. Maggiolini A, Lorenzo MD, Falotico E, Gargioni D, Morelli M. Typical dreams across the life cycle. International Journal of Dream Research. 2020; 13(1): 13-28.
    15. Schredl M, Doll E. Dream recall, attitude towards dreams and mental health. Sleep & Hypnosis. 2001; 3: 135–143.
    16. Beaulieu-Pre´vost D, Simard CCh, Zadra A. Making Sense of Dream Experiences: A Multidimensional Approach to Beliefs A bout Dreams. Dreaming. 2009; 19(3): 119–134.
    17. Schredl M, Berres S, Klingauf A, Schellhaas S, Göritz AS. The Mannheim Dream questionnaire (MADRE): Retest reliability, age and gender effects. International Journal of Dream Research. 2014; 7: 141-147.
    18. Schredl M. Positive and Negative Attitudes Towards Dreaming: A Representative Study. Dreaming. 2013; 23: 194- 201.
    19. Schredl M, Goritz AS. Dreamrecall frequency, attitude toward dreams, and the Big Five personality factors. Dreaming. 2017; 27: 49–58.
    20. Bulkeley K, Schredl M. Attitudes towards dreaming: Effects of socio-demographic and religious variables in an American sample. International Journal of Dream Research. 2019; 12(1): 75-81.
    21. Schredl M, Buscher A, Haab C, Scheuermann M, Uhrig K. Gender differences in dream socialisation in children and adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth. 2015; 20: 61-68.
    22. Hemingway B. The Dream in Classical Greece: Debates and Practices.2008.
    23. Domhoff GW. Finding meaning in dreams. A quantitative approach. New York, NY: Plenum. 1996.
    24. Sterpenich V, Perogamvros L, Tononi G, Schwartz S. Fear in dreams and in wakefulness: Evidence for day/night affective homeostasis. Hum Brain Mapp. 2019; 41: 840–850.
    25. Selterman D. Attitudes Toward Dreaming Predict Subjective Well-Being Outcomes Mediated Through Emotional Positivity Bias. International Journal of Dream Research. 2016; 9: 34-39.
    26. Malinowski J, Horton CL. Emotion but not stress modulates the incorporation of waking experiences into dreams. Dreaming. 2014; 24: 18–31.
    27. Malinowski JE, Horton CL. Themes of continuity.‌ International Journal of Dream Research. 2011; 4(2): 86–92