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Dream content and daytime attitudes in anxious and calm women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

M. Lourdes Felix Gentil  and
Malcolm Lader
M. Lourdes Felix Gentil
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Section, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Malcolm Lader*
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychopharmacology Section, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
2Address for correspondence: Dr Malcolm Lader, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

Twenty female anxious neurotic patients were compared with 25 normal female volunteers, divided into a low anxious normal and a high anxious group, with respect to dream report content. Dream reports were analysed using an objective and reliable method and were correlated with the day-time attitudes of the subjects measured by Semantic Differential techniques.

Anxiety levels influenced both dream reporting and dream content. In particular, aggression towards the dreamer was more common in the anxious patients. Significant correlations were found in all groups between dream content and daytime attitudes. The results were consistent with the ‘continuity’ hypothesis of dream function.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 2 , May 1978 , pp. 297 - 304
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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