The 30 questions that follow are ones that were asked of the dreamer by several different students who did blind analyses of her dream series.
The questions were not meant to be profound or deeply probing. After all, this was a research exercise with a person who was volunteering her dreams to help out in a class, not to be psychoanalyzed. We are grateful to this dreamer and a professor at another university for allowing us access to both the dreams and the questions.
The point of the questions was to learn if dreams reveal relationships and issues that are likely to be known to the dreamer. Such questions are the starting point for a more adequate theory of dreams, not the ending point.
For an ideal study the following would be necessary:
1) hundreds, if not thousands, of dream reports over a period of several years, or from several months at different time periods in the person’s life;
2) the understanding with the dreamer that any and all questions could be asked;
3) access to friends and/or relatives of the dreamer who would answer the same questions from their vantage points. This point is crucial because it provides a way to resolve disagreements between the dreamer and the researchers as to what the “real story” is on difficult issues. If the friends/relatives agree with the dreamer, then the researchers are probably wrong. If the friends/relatives answer the way the researchers expected the dreamer to answer, then the dreamer may have a “blind spot,” metaphorically speaking, on that issue—and don’t we all know that everyone we know—except ourselves, of course—has blind spots?
4) If we hold to a cognitive theory of dreams, we say that we are more “open to” and aware of some of our conceptions than we are to others. If we hold to a psychoanalytic theory, we say that some of our feelings and concerns are “unconscious.” Either way, the best way to approach such blind spots is to have information from friends and relatives who know the dreamer well enough to answer our questions.
For now, it is enough to see if the 28 dreams lead you to give the same answers to the 30 questions as the dreamer gave.
How Did the Dreamer Answer the
Following Questions?
1. Do you have a close relationship with your family? yes no
2. Do you enjoy your present living situation? yes no
3. Do you work in a hospital? yes no
4. Are you usually punctual? yes no
5. Does it bother you if late or others are late? yes no
6. Have you been staying in hotels lately? yes no
Next
set: 1 disagree 2
disagree somewhat 3
agree somewhat 4 agree
7. Being treated as an adult is important to me. 1 2 3 4
8. I feel like the future is approaching too fast. 1 2 3 4
9. My parents recognize me as an adult. 1 2 3 4
10. I am very aware of time. 1 2 3 4
11. I don’t like to be out of control. 1 2 3 4
12. I have been ill recently. 1 2 3 4
13. Someone close to me has been ill recently. 1 2 3 4
14. I don’t like to fight (verbally). 1 2 3 4
15. I enjoy the companionship of my roommate Nancy. 1 2 3 4
16. My roommate Nancy is very pushy towards me. 1 2 3 4
17. I feel ignored by my family. 1 2 3 4
18. I feel pressured by family and peers to do things
I don’t want to do. 1 2 3 4
19. My relationship with my boyfriend is stable. 1 2 3 4
20. My boyfriend is very supportive of me. 1 2 3 4
21. I think about the future often. 1 2 3 4
22. Voicing my own opinion is important to me. 1 2 3 4
23. I am comfortable around my male friends. 1 2 3 4
24. I often feel guilty about my sexual thoughts. 1 2 3 4
25. I am a risk taker. 1 2 3 4
26. Security is important to me. 1 2 3 4
27. I have definite plans for the future. 1 2 3 4
28. My relationship with my boyfriend is going to
interfere with my future plans. 1 2 3 4
29. Being independent is important to me. 1 2 3 4
30. I am not close to my brother. 1 2 3 4
Here’s The Dreamer’s Answers (In Boldface)
1. Do you
have a close relationship with your family? yes
no
2. Do you enjoy your present living situation? yes no
3. Do you work in a hospital? yes no
4. Are you usually punctual? yes no
5. Does it bother you if late or others are late? yes no
6. Have you been staying in hotels lately? yes no
Next set: 1 disagree 2 disagree somewhat 3 agree somewhat 4 agree
7. Being treated as an adult is important to me. 1 2 3 4
8. I feel like the future is approaching too fast. 1 2 3 4
9. My parents recognize me as an adult. 1 2 3 4
10. I am very aware of time. 1 2 3 4
11. I don’t like to be out of control. 1 2 3 4
12. I have been ill recently. 1 2 3 4
13. Someone close to me has been ill recently. 1 2 3 4
14. I
don’t like to fight (verbally).
1
2 3
4
15. I enjoy the companionship of my roommate Nancy. 1 2 3 4
16. My roommate Nancy is very pushy towards me. 1 2 3 4
17. I feel ignored by my family. 1 2 3 4
18. I feel pressured by family and peers to do things
I don’t want to do. 1 2 3 4
19. My relationship with my boyfriend is stable. 1 2 3 4
20. My boyfriend is very supportive of me. 1 2 3 4
21. I think about the future often. 1 2 3 4
22. Voicing my own opinion is important to me. 1 2 3 4
23. I am
comfortable around my male friends.
1 2
3 4
24. I often feel guilty about my sexual thoughts. 1 2 3 4
25. I am a risk taker. 1 2 3 4
26. Security is important to me. 1 2 3 4
27. I have definite plans for the future. 1 2 3 4
28. My relationship with my boyfriend is going to
interfere with my future plans. 1 2 3 4
29. Being independent is important to me. 1 2 3 4
30. I am not close to my brother. 1 2 3 4