An investigation of gender differences in dream content of Ukrainian males and females using quantitative content analysis

Abstract

The present study of the unknown Ukrainian nocturnal world asked the question: “Are there  content differences between Ukrainian male and female dream reports obtained from individuals attending dream seminars?” The systematic quantitative analysis of the content of dreams in 100 male and 100 female dreams from dream seminars conducted in 1995 and 1998 used Hall-Van de Castle’s (1966) scoring instrument. Of the significant content differences, Ukrainian men exhibited a higher incidence of assuming the befriender role (initiating friendly actions) and self-experienced negativity (victimization) while more women reported relating to others through friendliness. In the absence of other Ukrainian dream studies, results are interpreted in the context of earlier normative findings. Suggestions for future, culturally relevant research studies are provided.