Personality types and dreaming in future health professionals: Effect of age and gender

Abstract

This research is aimed at highlighting the existing relations among variables related to dreams and personality. The theoretical frame is linked to the analytic psychology by C. G. Jung and in particular to the Psychological Types. In order to study the variables related to dreams, the Mannheim Dream Questionnaire in its Italian Adaptation was adopted. The observation group was composed of 287 subjects aged from 18 to 27 years old with female prevalence, completing study courses related to health professions. In order to assess the personality variables, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator Form F was used with reference to extraversion and introversion attitudes and psychological functions, such as thought, feeling, sensation and intuition. All dream variables of the MADRE Questionnaire were considered. The first hypothesis of the study was related to the relationships among attitudes and dreams variables. Significant correlations emerged with reference to telling dreams, overall emotional tone, creative dreams, problem solving dreams, reading about dreams helpful literature, positive for extraversion and negative for introversion. The second hypothesis was related to the links among psychological functions and dream variables. Several significant correlations emerged, always in line with the polar dimension of the complementary variables. The third hypothesis analysed the dependencies between fundamental variables such as age and gender of our future clinicians and dream factors. Significant dependencies emerged, so that the role of age and gender were highlighted with reference to the particular MADRE dream variables. According to the emerged data it was possible to highlight the importance of studying future health professionals' object relations.