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The concept of Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) through a literature review and fictional depiction. The author discusses the history and differences between MD and typical daydreaming, presenting research by Dr. Eli Somer and other studies. The document aims to inform and validate MD experiences, providing insights into the lives of individuals who experience this condition.
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An Undergraduate Research Scholars Thesis by KATHRYN DOROTHY PATTISON Submitted to the Undergraduate Research Scholars program at Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the designation as an UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SCHOLAR Approved by Research Advisor: Dr. Jason Harris May 2020 Major: English
Through my research, I seek to mix psychology and creativity in order to answer the questions: What is maladaptive daydreaming? What does it look like? How can this be portrayed through fictional characters? Although daydreaming has been seen numerous times in literature and film, never has it been labeled as maladaptive nor addressed as MD. My novel entitled “daydreaMeD” follows the lives of three teenagers who experience maladaptive daydreaming: Ally, Jeanie, and Edgar. The three meet on an online MD forum, where they chat about their lives, ambitions, and daydreams. Each of them experiences MD in a different way, which I based on my survey of numerous MD qualitative studies and narrations. I hope to show readers what MD looks like daily and how this condition can alter one’s life. By presenting a creative work of this understudied condition, I hope to shed light on the subject and create a further sense of validation in those who experience the same thing but have not found the words to tell their story quite yet.
Dedicated to Mom, Dad, and to all those with a world inside their mind.
MD Maladaptive Daydreaming MDS Maladaptive Daydreaming Scale
My research began long before I knew it had a name. When I was little, I had recurring daydreams with complex plotlines. These fantasies were extremely immersive. I would flap my arms wildly as I daydreamed. My parents thought my “flapping” was just excitement, while kids at school would wonder, “Why is she doing that with her arms?” With a sense of shame, I daydreamed in private, often sitting on my bed, listening to music (which triggered the daydreams), and taking myself into other worlds: a superhero, a celebrity, or a member of a close group of fictional friends. I took elements of my real world and lived them out in my head for hours at a time. One day, wondering if there really was something wrong with me, I decided to Google my habits. What I found surprised me. There was a word that closely aligned with what I was experiencing: maladaptive daydreaming (MD). Several online MD communities popped up, filled with individuals who daydreamed in almost the exact way I did. Nonetheless, I never discussed my findings because no one knew what it was, and a sense of shame still lingered within me. Eventually, I realized there exists a need for literature that describes the experience of MD and what it looks like in everyday life, thus leading me to the question of my research. The following research seeks to answer the questions, “What is maladaptive daydreaming?”, “What does this condition look like?”, and “How can this condition be brought to light and described in a creative format using fictional characters?” I used a survey of different psychological studies on the matter–spear-headed by Dr. Eli Somer– in order to give an explanation and clear understanding of the generalized experience of MD. I chose a psychological lense for my research, rather than taking a literary focus, in order to gather the best
helps a general audience understand what MD looks like. This creative approach is what makes my project unique. While psychological studies have been published that present narratives of MD and the many experiences of individuals, there is not creative work that is able to bring this information to a larger audience, apart from online postings and communities. It is my hope that the creative work will provide a narration of characters that showcase what daily life is like with MD, what its characteristics are, and how it impacts the lives of those who experience it. I also hope to provide information that will continue the effort to get maladaptive daydreaming classified as an official psychiatric disorder, and I hope the information will be found intriguing by all audiences so that the experiences of so many can be validated in the eyes of the public. My creative artifact is a novel entitled, “daydreaMeD.” It follows the lives of three teenagers who experience MD: Ally, Jeanie, and Edgar. Each one of them has and continues to face hardship. Each also spends hours and hours of their days daydreaming. Ally uses characters from fictional pieces to play out violent, elaborate fantasies. Jeanie daydreams of celebrities, romance, and upcoming social interactions. Edgar daydreams of a life of power and ease at his own company, where he has full-on imagined relations with fictional people. These three characters became connected through an online MD community, like those in real life, and often chat about their experiences with MD. The novel follows them as they conquer external and internal struggles both related and not related to MD. Through their lives, I seek to give readers a vivid and everyday look into the lives of individuals who experience MD. I also seek to synthesize research done on this condition in order to present it in a creative way that still accurately describes what psychological studies have proven. I also seek to open a new doorway to more creative work about this subject and potentially inspire more people to be open about discussing their experiences. My primary goal is to inform, but the greatest goal is to continue to
build a community and validate maladaptive daydreaming experiences so that no one must daydream in shame–just as I did.
understand the “themes, dynamics, and meanings of the maladaptive daydreaming” (Somer, 2002). The test group consisted of 6 individuals who had been preselected for showing signs of engaging in maladaptive daydreaming. The instruments of the study were “two structured diagnostic interviews, two quantifiable questionnaires, and an open-ended interview” (Somer, 2002, p. 200). Following the experiment, Somer broke the MD experience down into three meta topics including functions, themes, and dynamics (Somer, 2002, p. 200). Functions of MD were found to consist of two elements: disengagement from stress and pain by mood enhancement and wish-fulfillment fantasies; and companionship, intimacy, and soothing. Subjects described using their daydreams to escape adverse life situations (both present and previous) as well as to find a sense of comfort or longing they might be missing in their real lives. For example, one participant described his ongoing fantasies of having a romantic companion constantly with him, which he mentioned happened after a rejection in his real-life (Somer, 2002, pp. 204-205). There were five main themes found in the participants’ daydreams: violence, idealized self, power and control, and captivity, rescue, and escape. For violence, some participants described their daydreams as including “aggression” and “bloodshed.” One woman said she “used to imagine America and the West at war against the Communist Block” (Somer, 2002, p. 205). Idealized self daydreams were described by participants as “picturing themselves as the persons they would have liked to be,” such as becoming a womanizer, gaining the ability to levitate, or taking on the role of the main character in a movie” (Somer, 2002, pp. 205-206). Power and control daydreams involved participants’ desire for “authority and domination,” including becoming a political mediator, being a leader of helpless followers, or tying opponents
up (Somer, 2002, pp. 205-206). Similarly, themes of captivity, rescue, and escape were common among daydream plots. Participants described feeling entrapped in their own toxic environments and using daydream sequences as a means of relief. For example, kidnapping a terrorist leader or being the prisoner in charge of negotiating with the captors (Somer, 2002, p. 206). Lastly, themes of sexual arousal included fantasies of flirting or making love (Somer, 2002, p. 207). There were two dynamics found in the participants’ daydreaming experiences: onset (adverse circumstances) and kinesthetic elements. Many of the participants were found to have had adverse childhood circumstances which they linked to being the cause of their MD. Though, it is important to note that later studies concurred that such circumstances were not required for the development of MD (Somer et al., 2019). Almost all subjects described movement or kinesthetic involvement as a part of their daydreams. This included acting out daydreams through speaking out dialogue, pacing, or tossing an object in their hands (Somer, 2002, p. 208). Somer’s study opened the door for further research, which his research concluded was needed. One of the next, and most notable, MD studies was performed in 2011 by Bigelson and Shupak on a set of “90 self-identified non-normative fantasizers” (Bigelson & Schupak, 2011). The purpose of the study was to gather a larger sample of those who categorize themselves as “maladaptive daydreamers.” The study, like Somer’s, took a qualitative approach and asked a series of open-ended questions in order to find similarities in daydreaming experiences (Bigelson & Schupak, 2011). There were several shared characteristics of MD fantasies, some similar and different to Somer. One commonality was the “intricate and elaborate detail embedded in the fantasies, sometimes involving plot, character, and background,” with some individuals going so far as conduct research for their daydreams. (Bigelson & Schupak, 2011). Triggers were found to be
symptoms in larger groups of individuals” (Somer et al., 2016). The final result was “14 items assessing five key characteristics of MD: MD content/quality (2 items), MD compulsion/control (4 items), MD distress (3 items), perceived benefits of daydreaming (2 items) and interference with life functioning (3 items)” (Somer et al., 2016). This scale gave a score in order to measure MD. The validity of such a measure was then proven in both large Italian and Arab samples. However, it is important to note that the 14 item scale switched to 16 items in order to include questions on the involvement of music in one’s daydreams. The suitability of this test amongst samples was tested both an Arab sample (Abu-Rayya et al., 2019) and in an Italian sample of 468 individuals. These tests showed that using the MDS to measure MD has proven so far to be reliable and that the daydreaming questions describe a very real phenomenon. Other studies using the MDS-16 have focused on continuing to gather MD narratives and descriptions, with one study asking participants to describe their experiences both verbally and pictorially (Somer et al., 2019). Though a test has been developed to measure MD, there is still very little known about the condition, which has not yet been registered as a psychiatric disorder. However, internet presence, with continued research and exposure, has become a strong determining factor in validating MD. While scores of people have created petitions to get MD registered as a disorder, the strongest vindication of the condition is best found on online forums with the presence of like-minded individuals. However, it is reported that the biggest problem facing maladaptive daydreamers is “they alone cannot produce credible knowledge about effective treatments for their condition” (Bershtling & Somer, 2018, p. 1998). Meaning, without continued clinical research, the exposure and understanding of MD could continue to be limited.
In terms of clinical treatment for MD, there continues to be sparse recognition of MD among psychiatrists. Many psychiatrists are not aware of the condition, just as many patients are afraid to mention their daydreaming in fear of being laughed at or shamed (Pietkiewicz et al., 2018). However, continued research, as well as the aforementioned online presence and discussion, has paved the way for mental health professionals to recognize and treat MD, with some in the field acknowledging that there is a great deal of value in analyzing daydreaming habits (Debrot, 2019). Recent studies have been done on the effects of medication and recreation drug use in treating MD; however, it was found that no current recommendation for either could be given (Ross et al., 2020). Intersections Studies show that there might be connections with maladaptive daydreaming and other disorders, including anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, and addiction. One open-ended survey reported that MD overlaps “and co-occurs with, a number of different DSM-5 disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, obsessive- compulsive spectrum disorders, and major depression” (Somer et al., 2017, p. 186). Early reports also show a positive correlation between the frequency of daydreaming and anxiety symptoms (Singer & Rowe, 1962). This research was confirmed by a recent study which, in a given sample, found that “on days which MD was more intense and time-consuming, individuals reported higher levels of dissociation, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depression, and negative emotion. They also experienced more anxiety and social anxiety on days in which MD was more intense” (Soffer-Dudek & Somer, 2018, p. 8). Though there exists overlap with MD and other psychiatric disorders, the strongest intersections appeared to be OCD and obsessive-compulsive
There were two venues in which I presented my work. The first occurred during the summer with the Aggie Creative Collect. Though it predated my membership in the Undergraduate Research program, the presentation had a large impact on my research and project. The other venue, this one more formal, was the Texas A&M Undergraduate Research Symposium. Both experiences refined my speaking skills as well as my research process. At the conclusion of the Aggie Creative Collective this summer, I briefly introduced my work and presented a portion of my novel to a general audience. The reaction to my presentation was completely unexpected. Following my descriptions of Maladaptive Daydreaming, several people, including friends and family, reached out to me saying that they either believed they had it, or they knew someone who experienced it. Eventually, I posted a video of my presentation to Facebook, where I got additional feedback. My ACC presentation marked the first time I ever introduced my work in a public sphere, and it greatly shaped both my drive to complete my thesis as well as the general content of my thesis. My second, and primary, presentation, was at the Texas A&M Undergraduate Research Symposium in College Station, Texas. For this event, I was given a ten-minute presentation slot along with three other students. There was a general audience and a panel of faculty members who served as active listeners. I decided to begin with a general background on my research and project. Then, I performed two excerpts from the first chapter of my creative work. Whereas other researchers had PowerPoints or visual tools, I felt mine needed to focus on my speech.
I was extremely nervous prior to the event. I was worried I wouldn’t be prepared, or that I was secretly under-qualified and everyone would notice, a feeling known commonly as “imposter syndrome.” As people began to move into the room for my presentation time, I became increasingly nervous. The research fair presented all different kinds of research, but–in a world with math and science– I wasn’t sure how my creative research would be perceived. I felt strange being in the same event as those presenting for more technical areas. However, through the experience, I saw and felt the value in my research. There was no distinction between fields, just an appreciation for research and exploration.
