Gender Differences in the Dream Content of Children and Adolescents: The UK Library Study
The American Journal of Psychology September 18, 2019 Michael Schredl, Verena S. Struck, Christine Schwert et al. 5 citations
Gender differences in the dreams of children and adolescents mirror those seen in adults. In a large UK sample of 1,995 most recent dreams, boys reported more physical aggression and fewer female characters, while girls' dreams more often featured indoor settings. These patterns support the continuity hypothesis, which holds that dreams reflect waking life. Dream content analysis offers a window into the inner world of young people, revealing their experiences, thoughts, and concerns. Future studies should measure waking aggression, social contacts, and leisure activities to directly link waking and dreaming.