Dream reflecting cultural contexts: comparing Brazilian and German diary dreams and most recent dreams
Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT) June 10, 2018 Gotthard G. Tribl, Franziska Beuerle, Mateus C. Trindade et al. 1 citation
Dreams reflect waking-life experiences, including personal concerns and cultural environment. Comparing written dream reports from Brazilian and German samples revealed both cultural differences and universal similarities. German dream reports contained more bizarreness, aggression, problems, and extreme emotions, while Brazilian reports featured more depression-related topics and work- and leisure-related themes. Similarities included verbal and physical interaction, numbers of male and female characters, and death-related themes, suggesting universal dream characteristics. The differences are interpreted as reflecting core cultural patterns: for Brazil, themes of miscegenation, emotional culture, and saudade (longing); for Germany, a conflict between high performance in science and arts and twentieth-century history.