Characters, social interactions, emotions and self-representation in 7-8 and 9 -11 year olds’ dream reports: A mixed methods study
Jennifer D. Parker, Kayleigh Freer, Kate Adams
University Library Heidelberg January 1, 2013 DOI: 10.11588/ijodr.2013.1.9425 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractDreams of 7-8 year old children differ from those of 9-11 year olds. Nineteen children in southwest England kept dream diaries for 14 days. Familiar characters, aggression, emotions, and self-representation increased with age. Gender differences and possible cross-cultural differences appeared. Unlike prior studies, the number of animals in girls' dreams did not decrease with age, and sexual interactions were reported. Media-related phenomena and the role of animals were explored qualitatively. The study provides a UK dataset for comparison with US research.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Mixed methods study Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 19 |
| Population | Children aged 7 to 11 years in southwest England |
| Duration | 14 days |
| Keywords | Dream Aggression Content measure theory Content analysis Developmental psychology |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key finding | Dream content differs between 7-8 and 9-11 year olds, with increases in familiar characters, aggression, emotions, and self-representation with age. |
Abstract
Using a mixed methods approach, this study investigates whether the content of dreams reported by 7 to 8 year olds differs significantly from those of 9 to 11 year olds. Nineteen children in the south west of England completed dream diaries at home for 14 days. The data were coded using Hall and Van de Castle’s (1966) Dream Content Analysis. The results demonstrate that despite a small sample size, significant differences were discovered between the dream reports of 7-8 and 9-11 year old children. Overall, familiar characters, aggression, emotions and self-representation increased with age. Gender differences between the dream reports and possible cross-cultural differences were also identified. Whilst some findings were concurrent with previous research, there were differences particularly with regards to the number of animals in girls’ dreams not decreasing with age; the inclusion of sexual interactions; and possible cross-cultural differences in the incidences of aggression. Qualitative analysis was employed to further explore the role of animals and the appearance of media-related phenomena on children’s dream content. Overall, the study contributes new findings to research on children’s dreams using a mixed methods approach which is underutilised in dream research with children. Further, the study offers a geographical data set for comparison with data gathered in US studies.