Monday, December 5, 2011

Content Analyzing Dreams

Research on dream science has made great progress with the design of content analysis (Hall & Van de Castle, 19966). If you were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams (e.g. romantic and otherwise) what content categories would you include in your study?

48 comments:

  1. If I were planning a study to examine relationships in dreams I would include content categories that focused on characters, social interactions, and perhaps emotions. Characters that were important or known to the dreamer would probably be more important to a study such as this, unless in the dream the dreamer was interacting directly with an unknown character. Social interactions of all kinds would be important to a study such as this, since relationships can be negative (in the case of aggressive actions), positive (in the case of friendly actions), or romantic (in the case of sexual actions). I believe that emotions would also be important in terms of content categories, since they way the dreamer feels towards the action or the person, or about the situation in general, should hold insight for the relationship being dreamed about.

    - Carey-Ann Bette

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  2. Using content analysis for relationships I would include categories such as interactions, this could be things like activities, how you actually interact with that person (text messaging, email, etc). Another category could be the emotions that are experienced with romantic and other relationships, both negative and positive aspects. This could be things such as joy, happiness, envy, etc. This would reveal the type of relationship a person has with another, healthy or otherwise. Feelings could have its separate category as love isn't an emotion but this could include love or lust.

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  3. If I was designing a study to examine the relationships in dreams I would focus on the actual people that were in the dreams, to see if certain people occurred more often than others. I would also examine their role in the dream and how we interacted with one another (in a positive way, negative way etc). I would also examine the person's feelings and emotions in regards to each person in the dream and how they felt about the interactions. This could determine what the true feelings are, as the dream may reveal feelings that may have been hidden in waking day life.

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  4. To design a study using content analysis for relationships I would use a few categories. Firstly I would categorize the characters themselves, whether or not they are close to the dreamer or strangers. I would also categorize the characters by gender. Then I would categories emotions related to the specific characters. Next I would categorize the types of environments that the dreams interactions take place in. I would also categorize activities being done with the dreamer and the characters. I would also categorize types of items used by the characters. Lastly I would categorize the types of colours in the dream as they may indicate feelings towards characters that are not as obvious.

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  5. If I were to design my own study to examine relationships in dreams, I would include various categories including: type of interactions (varying from friendly, romantic, motherly, etc.), means of interaction (in person, over the phone, text, etc.), emotions linked to specific interactions (anger, frustration, happiness, envy, etc.), types of relationships (love, lust, friendship, acquaintances, etc.), the gender of the characters, and colours seen in the dream.

    I believe that all of these components would be useful for interpreting relationships in dreams, since there are specific categories for defining different relationships. I also believe that this would provide a very specific understanding of the dream.

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  6. If I were designing a study to analyze relationships in dreams I would want to include the following categories: Characters (who and how many), emotions(specific and overall), scene changes (where and how many).

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  7. If I was examining relationships in dreams I would look for patterns in:
    -most often dreamt about characters (these will be the main people in the dreamers life)
    -the overall relationship type the dreams' attributes reflect (secure, avoidant, ambivalent, disorganized)
    -the recurrent emotion
    -the number of dreams about a certain character versus dreams about other things

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  8. If I were looking at relationships I would include the following categories:
    Characters, people (male/female, familiar/unfamiliar), number of scene changes (as this is linked to anxiety level), activities (physical, visual), social interactions (sexual, friendly/unfriendly), outcomes (success or failure) and the temperal scale (past/present).

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  9. If I was creating a study to examine relationships, I would include general categories for Content Analysis such as, Characters (I would only look at familiar characters, not strangers), Social Interactions (sexual, positive, negative, physical), I would also look at Emotions, such as Happy and Anger. Happy could be shown through positive interactions, happy ‘feelings’, lots of characters and anger could be shown through frequency of violent acts, negative interactions with characters, mad 'feelings' etc... I would also look at the environments. More specifically, as to whether it was intimate, sexual, nurturing or friendly.

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  10. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams, the content and categories that I would include in my study would be:

    - Locations and/or situations
    - Characters/people (male/female,familiar/unfamiliar)
    - Objects
    -Specific emotions (happy, fear, anxiety, love, etc…)
    - Sexual themes/activities
    - Recurring dreams (this may show a pattern in the relationship)
    - Colour in dreams vs. Black and white dreams

    And I agree with Natalie, that relationship type, or attachment style should be assessed. This could give the researcher a better view on the person and their types of relationships.

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  11. The content categories I would examine would definitely depend on the study, but some of the things that could be examined are:

    1) Frequency of dream images (for instance, people in poor physical health have reported more injuries and illness in dreams)
    2) Characters - familiar people, strangers, family members, friends, animals, mythical figures, male, female, children, etc
    3) Emotions/ Outcomes - success, failure, happy, sad, nervous, fearful, indifferent, etc
    4) Scene changes and colours (because these have been linked to waking day anxiety and depression, respectively)
    5) Activities and social interactions
    6) Time - past, present, future

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  12. The content I would look for while conducting a study to examine relationships would involve the following:

    1) the characters (male, female, strangers, friends,etc)
    2) the themes involved (romantic, sexual, platonic, family, etc)
    3) the emotions or feelings that the dreamer is experiencing both during the dream and upon waking up
    4) number of scene changes
    5) colours

    I think that these 5 criteria would be helpful in analyzing relationship dreams. I know that personally, when I have experienced dreams that include any of the above, I try to find some sort of link between my waking day life and desires and the content that I have just seen played through. I think that this kind of a topic would be quite interesting to do a study on because I have had many dreams relating to personal relationships and have always wondered if they held any deeper meaning, other than entertainment for the night...

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  13. If I were designing my own content analysis study to look at dreams on relationships there are lots of content categories I would include. I would look at the number of characters and whether they were familiar or unfamiliar, and whether they were male or female. I would look at the different emotions experienced by the dreamer or emotions that the other characters are exhibiting. I would include a category for the setting that the dream takes place and if any particular colours stood out the most to the dreamer. I think these are all the most important categories of interest but others could also be included such as dialogue if any is remembered, or any distinct objects that may have some kind of personal meaning to the dreamer. I think that looking at all of these together can help to get a better understanding of an individual's relationships with their friends, family, significant other or even how they interact with strangers.

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  14. Characters/ locations/ time/ colour/ moods/ duration of dream/ frequency of dream/ vividness are top of mind. Pre-screening for length, mental status, ansence of psychoactive drugs, and corroborative repoting if possible.

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  15. My case would be designed around character and relationships, How close and intimate the relationships were these characters you want to dream about? Is there going to be strong emotions linked to these characters?
    I think strong emotions can be linked to dreaming and it would definitely be something that needs to be looked deeper into

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  16. If I were to design a study to examine relationships in dreams the content categories I would include would be emotions, imagery, characters, colours, locations, and activities.

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  17. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams I would look at the following: emotions(happiness,sadness,anger, love etc...), imagery, characters (male/female,familiar/unfamiliar),colour vs balck and white dreams. I would also look at the persons attachment style and the way they are in their current relationships (personality). I think this is important because our dreams resemble our waking life and have a lot to do with who we are.

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  18. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams, I would include several content categories with subcategories. Firstly of course would be characters, as relationships are all about social interactions. Within characters the number would be studied, gender, current or past relationship with the person, known or stranger, and age. Another very important content category to study would be emotions involved in the dream which would include a wide array of possibilities including happiness, sadness, anger, embarrassment, shame, empathy, confusion, anxiety, fear, and so on. Activities that the characters are engaging in would be a content category. Another interesting content category would be around what the dreamer is thinking to them self in the dream, whether the thought patterns are characterized more positively or if they are more negative. This could possibly tap into the dreamers’ actual beliefs and tendencies toward optimism or pessimism, especially about particular relationships. Length of dream would definitely be taken into consideration, as well as number of scene changes and length of scenes. I think most importantly however is the way the dreamer them self interprets the dream and how they see it and what it means to them. Considering this, in addition to content analysis, I would definitely follow it up with some kind of qualitative method to study the subjective experience of the dreamer to further understand how the dreamer see’s it in their eyes. By talking with the person who had the dream much more information is conveyed, and you can get a better understanding of their past, present and future goals, which lends much information of the dream itself.

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  19. If I was creating a study to examine relationships in dreams I would include these categories: Characters (animal, familiar, strangers, men and women et.), interactions (friendly, aggressive, et.), emotions (happy, sad, et.), Settings (indoor, outdoor, familiar, unfamiliar et.), Past and Present, and colours. I think these categories would be suitable for examining relationships in dreams.

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  20. If I were to design a study using content analysis to examine relationships in dreaming, I would use the follow categories: characters, emotion, colours, setting, and interaction.

    These categories are all important when looking at relationships in dreaming. You should focus on who the characters are, what emotions you feel towards them, the colours you associate with, the setting you are in and what activity you are doing. Looking at these aspects of the dream can lead to some discovery on a particular relationship.

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  21. If I was designing a study to examine relationships in dreams, my content analysis would consist of the following categories: the location where the interaction is taking place (familiar vs non-familiar and significant vs non-significant place), the people present within the location (who they are/what they are wearing/their importance/if there is conflict with them), the role the people/person plays (their function or what they do or say in the dream), the gender of the person (male/female/other), the different emotions associated with them and the interaction which occurs.

    From personal experience, these components would be useful for interpreting relationships in dreams and analyzing them.

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  22. if i was designing a study to examine personal relationships, i would as well look at the ways in which individuals interact with one another in their dream. this could be in terms of where they are, what they are doing. i would look at the number of individuals in the dream as well as the colours in the dream (more black and white imagery, or coloured). I would also look at the emotions associated with the dreams. All of this combined would help with content analysis to examine relationships in dreams

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  23. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams the content categories I would include in my study would be: characters, emotions, location of dreams, frequency of dreams and social interactions. Using these categories would help to study relationships in dreams.

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  24. If i were designing a study on relationships in dreams i would include content categories such as; types of interactions, some sort of scale of sociability (dreamer as introverted or extroverted), types of characters as well as gender of characters, personal importance of characters (ie. stranger, friend, family member, boyfriend, etc), emotions felt during the dream, if this dream is recurrent, vividness of dream & whether is was long or had many scene changes. I would also control for attitudes of participants as well as what types of medications they are on.

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  25. If I were conducting a study to examine relationships in dreams I would include categories such as: Interactions - how the individuals interact within the dream. Emotions - the feelings that are expressed, certian bodily expressions.
    Environment - the environment of the dream itself, how the setting of the dream is represnted, colours that are expressed, etc.

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  26. If I were conducting a study to examine relationships in dreams I would include categories such as the characters interactions with one another or the interactions of the dreamer within the dream. I would also look at the emotions that would be seen in the dream as well as the emotions felt by the dreamer throughout the dream. The imagery of the dream such as the environment, salience of the dream, and the changes in settings or if they remain in the same place the whole time. To find if there may be importance than maybe the frequency of the dreams or similar dreams that the dreamer may be having.

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  27. If I were to create an analysis of dreams through content analysis I would have a handful of aspects I would look for but each of them would have a lot of detail I would go into to see what each aspects has on your life, on all different levels. I would first look at the people in your dream and how you are interacting with each other them, the setting you are in and the activities you are doing. through this I would analyze the emotions you feel when with this character and after they are out of your dream. I would even go so far and analyze how you felt after you woke up and were thinking about said dream in a waking state. I would also look to see if there are any sexual themes in your dreams or emotions that can be related to sexual feelings. I would also analyze the dream in a abstract, pub, literal and analytical forefront.

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  28. If I were conducting a study to examine the relationships in dreams I would look for content like:
    - The number of relationships between characters
    - The gender of each character
    - The frequency that the character appears in the dreams
    - The emotions the dreamer describes in relation the the characters interacted with
    - The colours described throughout the dream scenes
    - The locations of each dream scene

    I would be looking to see how all these features of the dream relate to the dreamer's relationships inside the dream, and how they describe their subconscious feelings in that relationship.

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  29. If I were conducting a content analysis on my dreams, I would use content categories such as:
    Characters and gender: familiar (family: immediate, extended; friends; peers; acquaintances), unfamiliar (people I have never met). It would also be important for me to note what type of relationship I have with that person (friendly; romantic; conflictual)
    Location: I would look at the location of the dream, and the significance it has for me.
    Colours: The colours that appear in the dream would be important for me to note, and where the colours are (example: if a person was wearing a red shirt, etc.)
    Emotion: The emotion that I was feeling as a character, or just as I was experiencing the dream. I would also note if there were certain emotions felt towards certain characters, and if there were any relationships between emotions felt and colours.

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  30. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams the content categories I would include in my study would be the relationship with characters, the gender of the characters, the number of characters, the colours in the dream, emotions, location, and number of scene changes. In addition vividness would be important to note to see which aspects or characters in the dream are most important.

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  31. If I were creating a study to examine relationships I would include content categories that focused on: characters (who am I interacting with, do I know them), social interactions (how am I am I interacting, are we talking? Are we actually with each other or are we interacting via phone, or email etc.?, activities taking place), emotions (happy, sad, confused etc.), Location (in public, at home, a restaurant, crowded place, quiet place),colouring, as well as reoccurring themes

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  32. If I was designing a study to examine relationships in dreams I would want to include categories like: people (familiar, unfamiliar, gender..), social interactions (friendly, sexual), scene changes, overt behaviours, emotions..

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  33. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  34. Tara-Lee Upshall
    If I was a researcher conducting a study to examine romantic relationships I would include these categories:
    Colour (red, green, black etc...)
    Characters (female, male, partner, non-partner, friend, stranger, family member, non-family member etc...)
    Emotions: (happy, said, frustrated etc...)
    Setting (home, restaurant, Hogwarts etc...)
    Behaviour (overt, covert etc...)
    Social Interactions (hugging, fighting, kissing etc...)

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  35. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams I would include several categories. I feel like emotions, locations, scene changes and behaviours would all be important to include as well as the type of relationship the dreamer has with the other person in waking life.

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  36. If I were to design a study examining relationships in dreams, I would include the following categories for Content Analysis:

    *Main characters in the dream/characters who might keep popping up (men, women, familiar or unfamiliar)

    *Gender of the characters (i.e. male, female)

    *Type of interaction (i.e., friendly, romantic, etc.)

    *Means of interaction (i.e., in person, over the phone, etc.)

    *Location

    *Time

    *Objects/symbols…and even colours

    *Emotions involved in the interactions (i.e. happiness, anger, frustration, jealousy, etc.)

    *Reoccurring dreams

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  37. if i were doing a study on relationships in dreams, i would include: characters, people, activities, social interactions, and outcomes in the study. characters and people would be used to determine who the relationship is about, activities would be included to see what the relationship entails, social interactions would be used to see who the relationship is folding out and the outcomes would be used to see how well the relationship faired.

    Melissa Van Grootel

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  38. If I were conducting a study on relationships in dreams these are the categories and subcategories I would use:

    Subject (Male/Female, Familiar/Unfamiliar)
    Location (Home, cottage, school etc)
    Emotion (Happy, angry, sad, depressed, rage etc)
    Event (Good/bad, fight/making up, etc)
    Colour (Green, blue, black, red, yellow etc)
    Status (Committed, married, casual, common law etc)

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  39. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams I would include categories of the characters in the dreams, the ages of the characters and the genders of the characters. I would also look at how many of each type of character there is. Looking into the relationship of each character to the dreamer would also help to interpret the dream and the relationship that might be there. Looking into how the characters interact with one another would also be looked into to see whether there is a strong attachment or a weaker one. Also the emotions that are associated with each character is important to look at.

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  40. If I was designing a study to examine relationships in dreams, the content categories I would include in the study are characters, behaviour, interactions, and emotions. Focusing on the characters in the dream imagery would show what kinds of people stand out in a person’s consciousness. Behaviour and interactions would present the thoughts, ideas and motives the individual has towards the characters. Finally, emotions would reveal an individual’s feelings towards the characters showing up in their dream.

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  41. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams, I would include the following content categories: characters, social interactions/environments, emotions and behavior, activities and color schemes, the means of the interaction in the dream and the time (past, present, future). Most important would be the characters and the emotions as they are the two important variables in relationships.

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  42. If I were designing a study to examine relationships using content to analyze my findings, the key attribute would be identifying what ever content stood out most to the dreamer and if different, whatever content seemed odd or confusing. As we all know, dreams can tell us things that we did not even know about ourselves and sometimes content can be forgotten but usually I find there to be moments while dreamer that are much more vivid then others. This could include environment, conversation, emotion, etc.

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  43. If I were designing a study to examine relationships in dreams, these are an example of some of the categories I would include: 1) Characters, Human: age, gender, whether that person was familiar or unfamiliar to me. 2) Social interactions, and descriptors; 3) Emotions: gear, anger, joy, happiness, etc. 4) Activities: (eg. driving, walking, running, dancing, working. 5) Setting: location, time, etc.; 6) other significant elements, ex. Colour. I would create a separate category for romantic/intimate relationships, and include subcategories such as: references to sexuality, and sexual activity. Hall & Van de Castle's system of dream coding is very comprehensive, designed with several levels of subcategorization.

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  44. If I were designing a study to examine the relationships in dreams the content categories I would include: 1) characters- including if the character is known or unknown in waking life, the relation the character has to the dream, details about their interaction: were they friendly, or full of conflict, etc. 2) Locations that were in the dream: indoor/outdoor, familiar/unfamiliar, etc. 3) Emotions in the dream- positive, negative, stressful, unstressful, etc. 4) Any conflicts the person was met with in the dream: conflicts with people, conflicts with time and space, personal conflicts, etc. 5) Activities the person participated in during the team: solo/group/couple activity, does the activity require physical action, is it a calming activity, or does it cause stress, is the activity familiar to the dreamer, etc.

    The most important categories of this study would be the dream characters, conflict and emotions experienced in the dream. I feel these would relate the most to the person's relationships in his or her waking life, and would also give the person the greatest insight into his or her relationships if they were to focus on this content.

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  45. If i were examining relationships within a dream i would include
    -Characters
    -locations
    -time
    -mood
    -color
    -frequency of the dream
    -emotions
    -duration of the dream
    Using these would help to discover the overall feeling of the dream (mood-positive/negative) and if there is any relevancy of the dream to the waking life of the dreamer (characters, frequency etc).

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  46. If I were conducting a study on dreams relating to relationships, these are certain categories and subcategories that I would use. First of, one category would be the subject itself, being male or female. Another category would be the location, including home, work, school. Another important category to include would be emotion of that subject, which could include feelings of happiness, sadness, anxiety, depression, or even neutral feelings. The colors within the dreams would also be important to include as a category, and the status of the specific subject, being married, in a relationship or even single.
    All of these categories would be important for my content analysis study in order to analyze certain dreams on relationships.

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  47. To examin relationships, I would include these categories: characters, interactions, emotions/moods, settings, and colours. Using these caetgories will help determine the overall meaning of the dream.

    Grace Williamson

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  48. If I were to examine relationships content categoris I would include would be characters, emotion, colours, and scenery. Characters in the dream would identify interactions between characters. Emotion would identify what the dreamer feels towards the scenario and characters. Colours in the dream would also be a good indicator of how the dreamer feels. Lastly scene would be a category because the scene represents the picture that the unconscious creates and having many different scene imagery can give more information about the dreamer.

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