A Cross-Cultural Comparison of Aggression in Dreams: Zapotecs and Americans

Because it is frequent and variable by sex, age and culture, manifest aggression in dreams appears to be an important research area. A comparison was made between dreamed aggressions for Americans (Hall and Domhoff 1963) and for Zapotecs, collected and analysed by the writers. Similarities and differences revealed in the comparison, suggest the importance of cultural factors in manifest dreamed aggres sion, along with sex and age. Multivariate analyses of carefully collected cross- cultural data will be necessary before adequate assessments can be made of the relative importance of these variables in dreams, more clearly establishing relation ships between wakeful and dreamed experiences.