Visual-Spatial Aspects of Primary Process in Dreaming and Waking Thought

Abstract

The present study investigated empirically whether condensation-like phenomena, as measured by boundary disturbances, are a reliable and internally-consistent phenomena in the dreams, Rorschach responses, and preconscious perceptions of the same individual. Subjects kept dream logs for two weeks and were administered the Rorschach and a subliminal perception task which involved the presentation of both a subliminal and supraliminal stimulus. Visual condensation was positively correlated for the dream and Rorschach protocols on most measures. Further, Rorschach boundary disruption was significantly associated with the amount of incorporation of the subliminal stimulus in subjects' drawings of the supraliminal stimulus. These results suggest that primary process mechanisms are evident in both conscious and nonconscious mentation and support a reconceptualization of primary process in terms of actual perceptual mechanisms which is of potential heuristic value in the empirical elucidation of dreams, creativity, and preconscious perception.