A comparison of measures of emotions from written reports of dreams and waking experiences

• Main Author: Conklin, Edward D.
• Format: Others
• Published: PDXScholar 1984
• Subjects: Emotions; Dreams; Cognitive Psychology; Psychology
• Online Access: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/3381; https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4376&context=open_access_etds

Various researchers have noted that emotions expressed in dream reports are infrequent and, more often, unpleasant. These observations are ambiguous for several reasons: (1) Empirical opinions differ markedly with regard to the structure of mentation across the continuum of waking and sleeping experience. (2) While the waking state is usually assumed as an implicit baseline, few studies have quantitatively compared waking and dream emotions. (3) Dream researchers have not thought about the basic nature of emotions or certain constraints which sleep physiology might impose upon emotions. In light of these assertions and considerations, an intrasubject comparison of emotions in reports of waking experiences and dreams might seem worthwhile.