Dreams as the Expression of Conceptions and Concerns: A Comparison of German and American College Students
G. William Domhoff, Katrin Meyer-Gomes, Michael Schredl
Imagination Cognition and Personality March 1, 2006 DOI: 10.2190/fc3q-2ymr-9a5f-n52m (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Comparative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | College students in Germany |
| Keywords | Dream Parallels German Content measure theory Cognition Expression computer science Relation database |
| Citations | 37 |
| Key points | Argues that dream content in German college students is more similar than different to that of students in other industrialized democracies, supporting the idea that dreams reflect personal concerns rather than cultural differences. Proposes this continuity supports a cognitive theory of dreams. |
Abstract
Past research shows there are more similarities than differences in the dream content of college students in several industrialized democracies. This study uses new results from dreams collected in Germany to support this past finding and suggest that dreams are more similar than different because they dramatize people's conceptions and concerns in relation to personal issues, which probably do not vary as much from country to country as culture does. It is further argued that this continuity between dream content and waking concerns, when combined with other parallels between dreaming and waking cognition, can be used to develop a cognitive theory of dreams. In addition, suggestions for future research with college students in Germany, the United States, and other countries are presented as a way to link personal conceptions and cultural changes.