Ontogenetic patterns in the dreams of women across the lifespan

•Expanded ontogenetic trends in dreams for women from adolescence to old age.•Linear decreases in dreams for interactions, and negative emotions.•Quality over quantity in social interactions, better emotional regulation with age.•Continuity between ontogenetic patterns in dream variables and waking development.

The present study supports and extends previous research on the developmental differences in women’s dreams across the lifespan. The participants included 75 Canadian women in each of 5 age groups from adolescence to old age including 12–17, 18–24, 25–39, 40–64, and 65–85, totaling 375 women. One dream per participant was scored by two independent judges using the method of content analysis. Trend analysis was used to determine the ontogenetic pattern of the dream content categories. Results demonstrated significant ontogenetic decreases (linear trends) for female and familiar characters, activities, aggression, and friendliness. These patterns of dream imagery reflect the waking developmental patterns as proposed by social theories and recognized features of aging as postulated by the continuity hypothesis. Limitations and suggestions for future research including the examining of developmental patterns in the dreams of males are discussed.