Lucid dreaming: associations with internal locus of control, need for cognition and creativity

• Published in: Personality and individual differences Vol. 28; no. 1; pp. 41 - 47
• Main Authors: Blagrove, M., Hartnell, S.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Control; Creativity; Dreaming; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Locus of control; Need for cognition; Personality; Personality traits; Personality. Affectivity; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Relationship; Locus of control; Personality; Need for cognition; Dreaming; Creativity; Human; Dream; Need; Interindividual comparison; Cognition
• ISSN: 0191-8869; 1873-3549
• DOI: 10.1016/S0191-8869(99)00078-1

A lucid dream is defined as occurring when an individual becomes aware that they are dreaming, and, while remaining asleep, can control some of the events or content of the dream. Frequent lucid dreamers have previously been shown to be more internal on Rotter’s Locus of Control (LOC) scale than are non-lucid dreamers. The present study found that frequent lucid dreamers ( n=22) had higher scores than non-lucid dreamers ( n=20) on the Internal dimension of Levenson’s LOC scale, but not on Levenson’s LOC Powerful Others and Chance dimensions. Frequent, and also occasional lucid dreamers ( n=15), also scored significantly higher on Need for Cognition and on Gough’s self-assessed Creative Personality scale, than did non-lucid dreamers. The results indicate a continuity between styles of waking and dreaming cognition, just as previous work has shown a continuity of content.