| Abstract: | There exists little research on dream-related beliefs and their role in peoples’ lives. Our aim was to develop a questionnaire (the Inventory of Dream Experiences & Attitudes IDEA]) to assess dream-related beliefs and investigate their relations to waking-state variables. Seven hundred twenty-five participants completed the IDEA, and 357 participants also completed questionnaires on dreams, personality, and well-being and recorded their dreams for 2 or more consecutive weeks. A factor analysis of the IDEA revealed 7 dimensions: significance, positivity, recall, apprehension, entertainment, continuity, and guidance. Using these dimensions, individuals were classified into three distinct profiles that showed differential relations to measures of personality and well-being. The findings indicate that the IDEA is a useful instrument for researchers and that dream-related beliefs can play important psychological roles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
