Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

150 CHAPTER 4 Consciousness and Its Variationsactually happened, the details usually aren’t fantastic (e.g., being naked in public)or completely off the wall (e.g., flying through the air). And rather than wildlyfluctuating emotions, when emotions are experienced in dreams, they are usuallyappropriate in the context of the dream story.So what patterns and themes are typical? Here are some of the well-substantiatedfindings on common dream content (Domhoff, 2007, 2003):• Women report males and females in equal proportion as other dream storycharacters.• Men are more likely to report other males as the dream story characters.• Negative feelings and events are more common than positive ones.• Instances of aggression are more common than are instances of friendliness.• Dreamers are more likely to be victims of aggression than aggressors in theirdreams.• Men are much more likely than women to report dreams involving physicalaggression.• Women are more likely than men to report emotions in their dreams.• Sex or sexual behaviors seldom occur as elements of the dream story.• Apprehension or fear is the most frequently reported dream emotion for bothsexes, followed by happiness and confusion.nightmareA vivid and frightening or unpleasant anxietydream that occurs during REM sleep.“Off with his head! Off with his head!”If apprehensive or fearful emotionsbecome progressively moreintense as a dream story unfolds,the person may experience anightmare. A nightmare is avivid and disturbing dream thatoften awakens the sleeper. Thetypical nightmare storyline is thatof being helpless or powerlessin the face of being aggressivelyattacked or pursued. Althoughfear, anxiety, and even terror arethe most commonly experiencedemotions, some nightmares involve intense feelings of sadness, anger, disgust, or embarrassment(Nielsen & Zadra, 2005).During a nightmare, the disturbing and emotionally charged dream imagery rapidlyaccelerates, often causing the person to awaken. Upon jolting awake, the personis alert and can immediately recall the exact, frightening dream details.The frequency of nightmares is closely related to age. Nightmares occur mostcommonly during middle and late childhood, then decrease in frequency during adolescenceand young adulthood. Although estimates vary, approximately 25 percent ofkids in the 5–11 age group report having at least one nightmare per week (Mindell& Barrett, 2002).Among adults, nightmares are much more common than generally believed.Approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of adults experience nightmares on a weeklybasis. Family and twin studies strongly suggest that some people may be geneticallypredisposed to regular nightmares.Gender also plays a role in nightmare frequency. Compared to men, women atall ages report more frequent nightmares. Daytime stress, anxiety, and emotionaldifficulties are often associated with nightmares. As a general rule, nightmares arenot indicative of a psychological or sleep disorder unless they occur frequently,cause difficulties returning to sleep, or cause daytime distress (Levin & Nielsen,2007; Nielsen & others, 2006).© The New Yorker Collection 1988Charles Saxon from Cartoonbank.com.