A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Dark Dreams are made of this: Agressive and sexual dream content, and dark triad of personality




AuthorsLyons Minna, Khan Shelley, Sandman Nils, Valli Katja

PublisherSAGE

Publication year2018

JournalImagination, Cognition and Personality

eISSN1541-4477

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1177/0276236618803316(external)

Web address https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0276236618803316(external)


Abstract

The Dark Triad (i.e., Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) of personality has been associated with behaviors that facilitate a fast life history strategy, such as aggressiveness and increased interest in sex. In the present on-line study (N = 265), we investigated the possibility that these personality traits have an association with dream content, namely, increased frequency of sexual and aggressive dreams. In regression analyses, we found that the frequency of aggressive dreams was predicted by Machiavellianism and psychopathy. The frequency of sexual dreams was predicted by psychopathy and narcissism. The results support a number of previous studies, suggesting that especially psychopathy is a manifestation of a fast life history strategy. Further, individuals high in this trait may simulate evolutionarily relevant actions in their dreams.



Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 14:57