Dream Content in a Representative German Sample: Gender Differences and the Effects of other Socio-Demographic Variables
Michael Schredl, Katharina Keller
Imagination Cognition and Personality September 1, 2008 DOI: 10.2190/ic.28.1.d (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 380 |
| Population | Representative sample (German adults, implied by context) |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Keywords | Dream Content measure theory Marital status Sample material German Residence Developmental psychology Demography Population Psychotherapist |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key findings | Socio-demographic variables were not significantly related to general dream characteristics, supporting dreaming as a universal phenomenon. Gender differences appeared in dream content, with men reporting more work-related themes and physical aggression. |
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of socio-demographic variables on dream content in a representative sample. The analyses of 380 most recent dreams showed that almost none of the socio-demographic variables like age, gender, marital status, education, income, nor town (or city) of residence size was significantly related to general dream characteristics like dream length, bizarreness, and intensity of dream emotions, thus indicating that dreaming is a universal phenomenon shared by all humans and is experienced in similar ways. On the other hand, dream content—in contrast to the general dream characteristics—is determined by waking-life experiences. This is clearly shown by the gender differences found in the present study: more work-related themes and physical aggression in men's dreams. In order to generalize these findings, it will be necessary to apply other dream collection methods like dream diary or laboratory awakenings in large, representative samples in order to obtain and analyze the dream reports of persons who do not often recall their dreams and who are not able to report their most recent dream to an interviewer.