An empirical investigation of Jung's dream theory, a test of compensatory vs. parallel dreaming

Abstract

The competing Jungian hypotheses of compensatory vs parallel dreaming were tested by assessing the prediction of dream content and dream quality by spiritual attitudes. Dream diaries were kept for 3 weeks by 101 undergraduate psychology students. Trained raters scored 1235 dreams for child content (a symbol of spirituality; Jung, 1969) and archetypal quality (high affect, bizarreness, and unlike everyday; Cann & Donderi, 1986). Spirituality was assessed with the Spiritual Orientation Inventory (SOI; Elkins, 1988). For child imagery, hierarchical multiple regressions provided no support for either model. For archetypal quality, the compensation model received partial support with a trend for spirituality as a negative predictor, an association which was significant with a subsample of archetypal dreamers. In addition, the master and continuity models of dream function were not supported by the data. The young age of this sample may have precluded significant findings and replication w th older participants (40+ years) is needed.