This research extends previous investigations on dreams with sexual imagery while beginning the empirical investigation across cultures and between genders. To extend previous cultural research, sexual dream imagery and frequency between Italian and Canadian men and women were examined. The first study consisted of two samples of 267 dreams (112 male and 155 female) from Trent University, Canada and Tor Vergata University, Italy. The second study consisted of two samples of 100 dreams with sexual content (50 male and 50 female) from Canadian and Italian students. Computer textual analysis of dream content categories revealed that sexual imagery and frequency of sexual dream content was consistent with previous research. New findings were found between the two cultures and across gender. For dreams in general, differences were found between Italian males and Italian females, and, between Italian females and Canadian females. These studies show that both cultural and gender differences are relevant for dreams with sexual imagery. Further investigations are warranted and should be extended to other cultural groups now that the protocol has been established through these studies. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
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