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In this article the writer summarizes his study of the dreams of about 100 inmates of the Maine School for Feeble-Minded. The dreams of idiots and low grade imbeciles being difficult to determine, the study was confined chiefly to the higher grade defectives. The chronological ages were from 6 to 40. No effort was made to analyze the dreams by technical methods.
Dreams which were plainly wish-fulfillments were most common. Such dreams were of being at home, of working in a good family, of having pretty clothes, good things to eat, etc. The writer points out that the feeble-minded, as a class, have simple desires; since their thought processes are not complex, since they tend to think directly, have poor imaginations, a poverty of mental associations, their dreams are more or less direct and easily interpreted.
Dreams concerned chiefly with incidents of the day were next in frequency. The dreamers imagined themselves at work at their usual pursuits, playing baseball, conversing with fellow inmates, etc.
The dreams were generally of a happy nature. The younger inmates sometimes dreamed of being chased by tramps, dogs, bears, of being in a fire. Vivid dreams were uncommon. Typical dreams—flying, falling, etc.—as well as dreams of ghosts, monsters, fairies, were rare. Most dreams were purely visual. Paralytics, most of whom were crippled from birth or an early age, did not use the paralyzed members in dreams. Epileptics did not dream of their convulsions. The girls had a more varied dream life than the boys, and tended to remember their dreams better.
Nightmare, somnambulism, night terrors were infrequent. This the writer attributes chiefly to the feeble-minded's freedom from worries, repressions, conflicts; their feeble imaginations, and impressionability. Talking in sleep, which occurred most commonly after the first few hours of sleep, was present in 8 percent. Somniloquy rarely dealt with events of long ago, usually with recent incidents. Enuresis occurred in 10 percent