Purpose: To test the hypothesis that supernatural agents (SAs) appear in nightmares and dreams in association with evidence of diminished agency within the dreamer/dream ego. Methods: Content analyses of 120 nightmares and 71 unpleasant control dream narratives. Results: We found that SAs overtly occur in about one quarter of unpleasant dreams and about half of nightmares. When SAs appear in a dream or nightmare they are reliably associated with diminished agency in the dreamer. Diminished agency within the dreamer occurs in over 90% of dreams (whether nightmares or unpleasant dreams) that have overt SAs. In about half of nightmare reports the SA appears suddenly with no clear emergence pattern. In some two thirds of unpleasant dreams, however, the SA emerged from a human character. The SA’s gender was indeterminate in most dreams with SAs but the SA communicated with the dreamer in 24% of nightmares and only 13% of unpleasant dreams. In most nightmares, the SA intended to harm the dreamer and in one third of nightmares the dreamer was the victim of physical agression by the SA. SA intentions in unpleasant dreams were more varied and actually benign in 13% of cases. Conclusion: Supernatural agents reliably appear in nightmares and unpleasant dreams in association with diminished agency in the dreamer. Diminished agency in an individual may facilitate supernatural agent cognitions.

中文翻译：

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梦中的超自然特工认知

目的：检验与梦者/梦者自我中代理能力减弱的证据相关的假说，即超自然物质（SA）出现在梦night和梦中的假说。方法：内容分析120个噩梦和71个令人不快的梦境叙述。结果：我们发现SA明显发生在约四分之一的不愉快的梦中和约一半的噩梦中。当SA出现在梦中或梦night中时，它们确实与做梦者的代理能力下降相关联。做梦者内部的代理减少发生在超过90％的梦中（无论是噩梦还是不愉快的梦），这些梦中都有明显的SA。在大约一半的噩梦中，SA突然出现，没有清晰的出现模式。然而，在三分之二的不愉快的梦中，SA出自人类的性格。在SA的大多数梦中，SA的性别都是不确定的，但是SA在做噩梦的24％和不愉快的梦中只有13％与做梦者沟通。在大多数噩梦中，SA旨在伤害做梦者，而在三分之一的噩梦中，做梦者是SA遭受身体攻击的受害者。SA在不愉快的梦中的意图更加多样，实际上在13％的情况下是良性的。结论：超自然因素可靠地出现在噩梦和不愉快的梦中，并伴有做梦者的活动能力下降。个人的代理能力下降可能会促进超自然代理的认知。SA在不愉快的梦中的意图更加多样，实际上在13％的情况下是良性的。结论：超自然因素可靠地出现在噩梦和不愉快的梦中，并伴有做梦者的活动能力下降。个人的代理能力下降可能会促进超自然代理的认知。SA在不愉快的梦中的意图更加多样，实际上在13％的情况下是良性的。结论：超自然因素可靠地出现在噩梦和不愉快的梦中，并伴有做梦者的活动能力下降。个人的代理能力下降可能会促进超自然代理的认知。