Spatio-Temporal Displacement and Expression of Feeling in Dreams of Emotionally Expressive Persons

The present study examined the relationship of expression of feeling during waking to expression of feeling and spatio-temporal displacement in dreams. 41 subjects, each of whom collected either one or two dreams ac home, rated their dreams for expression of feeling, familiarity, and time passed since last experience with selected dream features. They then completed the Personal Orientation Inventory. An independent judge's ratings of expression of feeling in dreams was also obtained. Contrary to expectations, no significant correlations were found between the indices of expression of feeling (Feeling Reactivity, Spontaneity, Aggression) and either the subjects' or the judge's ratings of such expression in dreams. Further, the inventory indices of expression of feeling correlated positively and significantly with spatio-temporal displacement in dreams. These results contradict the theory of Corriere, Hart, Karle, Binder, Gold, and Woldenberg (1977), according to which expression of feeling is inversely related to spario-remporal displacement in dreams. An alternative hypothesis, capable of explaining the present and other research results, implicates expression of feeling in the process of integrating recent events with more remote memories.