The Role of Culture, Violence, and Personal Factors Affecting Dream Content
Raija-Leena Punamäki, Marja Joustie
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology March 1, 1998 DOI: 10.1177/0022022198292004 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 205 |
| Population | Children aged 7-12 from Palestinian and Finnish groups |
| Duration | 7-day dream diary |
| Topics | Dreaming |
| Key findings | Living in a violent environment was associated with mundane, intensive, and vivid dreams incorporating persecution and aggression themes. Dreams of Palestinian children from Gaza had more external anxiety scenes, whereas Finnish children's dreams had more inner anxiety scenes. |
Abstract
The impact of culture, violent environment, gender, and age on dream content was studied among 205 children in three groups: a Palestinian group living in a violent environment (n = 80), and Palestinian (n = 45) and Finnish (n = 80) groups living in peaceful areas. They were matched for age (7-12) and gender. The method used was a 7-day dream diary in which the participants recorded the dreams they recalled every morning. Results showed that living in a violent environment affected dream content more than did culture and personal factors. The results confirmed our hypothesis that a violent and dangerous environment was associated with mundane, intensive, and vivid dreams incorporating persecution and aggression themes. As an indication of individualistic versus collective dream characteristics, results showed that the dreams of the Palestinian children from Gaza incorporated more "external scenes" of anxiety, whereas the Finnish children's dreams had more "inner anxiety scenes."