Abstract
Seventeen female college students completed dream questionnaires for every dream recalled over two menstrual cycles. Scales were devised to measure obvious and symbolic maternal and heterosexual dream content. Menstrual cycles were divided into follicular (progesterone-absent) and luteal (progesterone-present) phases for comparison within each subject. There were higher obvious and symbolic maternal scores in the luteal phase. It was concluded that hormones influence instinctual tendencies as expressed in dreams.
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This paper is based upon a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree in the Department of Psychology at York University. I am grateful to Raymond Fancher and especially to Jonathan Baron for critical comments and several specific suggestions.
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Baron, J. Menstrual hormone changes and instinctual tendencies in dreams. Motiv Emot 1, 273–282 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998865
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998865