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Čepulienė AA, Skruibis P. The functions of the dreams of the deceased: A qualitative study of women bereaved by partner's suicide. DEATH STUDIES 2023:1-10. [PMID: 38117247 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2023.2297063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Suicide bereavement is a challenging experience that affects relationships, feelings, and physical and mental health. The research on dreams during suicide bereavement might deepen the understanding of how the loved one's suicide affects the person and what functions the dreams can have during the bereavement process. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to explore the functions of the dreams of the deceased during suicide bereavement in a sample of 9 women bereaved by their partner's suicide. The data was gathered by conducting semi-structured interviews and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes were generated: dreams function as helping during the process of suicide bereavement; dreams reflect the traumatic aspects of suicide bereavement; dreams function as a space to maintain or sever an ongoing relationship with the deceased. The findings reveal that dreams can function in different ways and can be a valid part of suicide bereavement.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paulius Skruibis
- Suicidology Research Centre, Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania
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Schredl M, Anderson LM, Kahlert LK, Kumpf CS. Work-Related Dreams: An Online Survey. Clocks Sleep 2020; 2:273-281. [PMID: 33089204 PMCID: PMC7573803 DOI: 10.3390/clockssleep2030021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Professional work is an integral part of modern life. According to the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, which states that dreams reflect waking life, work-related dreams should be quite common. As most dream content analytic studies are carried out in student samples, the topic of work in dreams is understudied. A few small studies indicate that the stress levels associated with the job are especially reflected in work-related dreams. Here, a total of 1695 people (960 women, 735 men) completed an online survey that included questions about the estimated percentage of work-related dreams, the overall emotional tone of work-related dreams, and waking-life experiences related to their current job situation (working or not working). The findings indicate that every fifth dream is related to current or previous work. Individuals who are working dreamed more often about work, with jobs that are experienced as being more stressful being more likely to affect dream content. The emotional tone of work-related dreams was related to stress and the emotions related to work in waking life. Overall, the findings demonstrate that professional life has a profound effect on dreaming in many individuals-even after years. The next steps would be to study the dream content of work-related dreams and relate these contents to specific characteristics about the jobs, e.g., professional field, hierarchical position and autonomy, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schredl
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Gesundheit, Postfach 12 21 20, 68072 Mannheim, Germany; (L.M.A.); (L.K.K.); (C.S.K.)
| | - Lilian Marie Anderson
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Gesundheit, Postfach 12 21 20, 68072 Mannheim, Germany; (L.M.A.); (L.K.K.); (C.S.K.)
| | - Lea Katharina Kahlert
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Gesundheit, Postfach 12 21 20, 68072 Mannheim, Germany; (L.M.A.); (L.K.K.); (C.S.K.)
| | - Celine Sophie Kumpf
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Gesundheit, Postfach 12 21 20, 68072 Mannheim, Germany; (L.M.A.); (L.K.K.); (C.S.K.)
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Schredl M, Struck VS, Schwert C, Blei M, Henley-Einion J, Blagrove M. Gender Differences in the Dream Content of Children and Adolescents: The UK Library Study. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.5406/amerjpsyc.132.3.0315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Although gender differences in the dreams of adults have been studied extensively, large-scale studies in children and adolescents are scarce. The UK Library Study collected 1,995 most recent dreams of children and adolescents. Boys reported more physical aggression and fewer female characters in their dreams, whereas indoor settings were more prominent in girls’ dreams, results that are consistent with the findings in adults and the continuity hypothesis of dreaming. The study indicates that dream content analysis is a valuable tool for studying the inner world of children and adolescents because dreams reflect their waking life experiences, thoughts, and concerns. It would be informative to include measures of waking life aggression, frequency of social contacts, and leisure time activities to provide evidence for direct links between waking and dreaming.
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Abstract
The satisfaction of individuals’ psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness, as conceived from a self-determination theory perspective, is said to be conducive to personal growth and well-being. What has been unexamined is whether psychological need-based experiences, either their satisfaction or frustration, manifests in people’s self-reported dream themes as well as their emotional interpretation of their dreams. A cross-sectional study (N = 200; M age = 21.09) focusing on individuals’ recurrent dreams and a three-day diary study (N = 110; M age = 25.09) focusing on daily dreams indicated that individuals experiencing psychological need frustration, either more enduringly or on a day-to-day basis, reported more negative dream themes and interpreted their dreams more negatively. The contribution of psychological need satisfaction was more modest, although it related to more positive interpretation of dreams. The discussion focuses on the role of dreams in the processing and integration of psychological need-frustrating experiences.
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Dale A, Lafrenière A, De Koninck J. Dream content of Canadian males from adolescence to old age: An exploration of ontogenetic patterns. Conscious Cogn 2017; 49:145-156. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2017.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 11/26/2016] [Accepted: 01/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Kahan TL, Claudatos S. Phenomenological features of dreams: Results from dream log studies using the Subjective Experiences Rating Scale (SERS). Conscious Cogn 2016; 41:159-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2016.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2015] [Revised: 01/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Zhang W. A Supplement to Self-Organization Theory of Dreaming. Front Psychol 2016; 7:332. [PMID: 27014141 PMCID: PMC4782025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 02/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Wei Zhang
- School of psychology, Nanjing Normal UniversityNanjing, China
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schredl
- Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/Heidelberg University, Germany
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Schredl M. Nightmare frequency and nightmare topics in a representative German sample. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2010; 260:565-70. [PMID: 20229263 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-010-0112-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2009] [Accepted: 03/01/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Nightmares are defined as disturbing mental experiences that generally occur during REM sleep and often result in awakening. Whereas the number of publications addressing nightmare frequency and psychopathology, nightmare etiology and treatment is increasing rapidly in the last few years, nightmare content has been studied very rarely in a systematic way, especially in adults. The present study investigated nightmare frequency and the frequency of various nightmare topics in a representative German sample. The five most common themes were falling, being chased, paralyzed, being late, and the deaths of close persons. Even though several effects can be explained by the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, further research is needed to investigate the possible metaphoric relationship between nightmare topics like falling or being chased and waking-life stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schredl
- Schlaflabor, Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit, Postfach 12 21 20, 68072, Mannheim, Germany.
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Schredl M. Recall Frequency of Positive and Negative Dreams in a Representative German Sample. Percept Mot Skills 2009; 108:677-80. [DOI: 10.2466/pms.108.3.677-680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The effects of sociodemographic variables on dream recall frequencies were investigated in a representative sample. Analysis indicated that age, sex, social class, and the size of the place of residence showed small but significant effects on the frequency of positively toned and neutral dreams. Women and inhabitants of large cities tended to report dreams more often than men and residents of small towns. There was also a decline in dream-recall frequency across age groups. The statistical analysis for the recall frequency of negatively toned dreams which were recalled less often showed less pronounced effects.
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Schredl M, Keller K. Dream Content in a Representative German Sample: Gender Differences and the Effects of other Socio-Demographic Variables. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2009. [DOI: 10.2190/ic.28.1.d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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.
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Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of sociodemographic variables on dream recall frequencies in a representative sample of 931 persons over 14 years of age. Analyses indicated that age, sex, and the size of the place of residence had small but significant effects: women and inhabitants of large cities tend to report dreams more often than men and residents of small towns. There was also a decline in dream-recall frequency with age. The explained variance, however, was small.
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Abstract
Many studies have reported gender differences in dream recall. Data from 175 independent studies have been included in the analyses. Overall, estimated effect sizes in five age groups of healthy persons differed significantly from zero. Variables like measurement method and publication year did not affect the gender difference but age groups showed different effect sizes. The smallest effect size was found for children (0.097), the largest for adolescents (0.364), whereas the three adult groups ranged from 0.242 to 0.270. The findings suggest that the age-dependent gender differences in dream recall might be explained by gender-specific 'dream socialization'. Longitudinal studies in this area, however, are still lacking.
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Abstract
The present study investigated the prevalence of flying dreams in four representative German samples of adults ( N = 5,941). Overall, 7.5% of the participants reported having flying dreams within the last few months. The increase in percentage of persons who report flying dreams from 1956 to 2000 might reflect the increasing amount of air travel. This would support the continuity hypothesis of dreaming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edgar Piel
- Institute for Demoscopy, Allensbach, Germany
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