The consistency and continuity hypotheses revisited through the dreams of women at two periods of their lives.
Monique Lortie‐Lussier, Lucie Côté, Julie Vachon
Dreaming June 1, 2000 DOI: 10.1023/a:1009407920851 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21 |
| Population | Women who kept dream diaries |
| Duration | Dream diaries kept for a few weeks at intervals of 10, 15, or 17 years |
| Citations | 18 |
| Key findings | No significant changes appeared in mean frequencies of dream elements or their ratios across intervals of 10, 15, or 17 years. Internal consistency was high and significant only for friendly and aggressive interactions, while other correlations were not significant. Some ratios and indices for characters, settings, interactions, and emotions deviated significantly from female norms at one phase or the other. |
Abstract
The purpose of the present longitudinal study was to determine the extent of consistency in dream content at two periods of adulthood as well as continuity with the psychosocial development of the dreamers. Twenty-one women kept a dream diary for a few weeks at intervals of 10, 15 or 17 years. ANOVAs for repeated measures were performed on the mean frequencies per dreamer of different dream elements or ratios of these elements. No significant changes were found. Pearson moment correlations yielded high and significant internal consistency for friendly and aggressive interactions. None of the others were significant. Ratios and indices calculated on subclasses of characters, settings, interactions and emotions revealed significant deviations from female norms, at one or the other of the phases. These different findings are discussed within the theoretical perspective of continuity with developmental stages in women's lives.
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- A new neurocognitive theory of dreams. Dreaming March 1, 2001
- Dream content and psychological well-being: A longitudinal study of the continuity hypothesis Journal of Clinical Psychology 2005
- A state of confusion in information processing makes the sleeping brain a dream generator Medical Research Archives 2018
- Ontogenetic and Gender Dimensions in a Normative Study of the Dreams of Canadians uO Research 2017
- Similarities and differences in dream content at the cross-cultural, gender, and individual levels. Consciousness and Cognition October 4, 2008