Maladaptive Daydreaming, Overexcitability, and Emotion Regulation

ABSTRACT

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) was studied (N = 361) in pre-professional/professional dancers, college athletes, and active participants. The relationship among MD, overexcitability (OE), and emotion regulation was examined. Results indicated that MD was associated with imaginational OE and negatively with sensual OE. Difficulty with emotion regulation strategies in individuals with elevated MD included impulse control difficulties, decreased acceptance of negative emotions, and more difficulty mobilizing goal-directed behavior. Dancers had higher OEs compared to the active control group and similar to athletes for psychomotor OE. The three active groups were similar in emotion regulation. The investigation of MD is a relatively new field of study. Examining the relationship with OEs, emotion regulation, and MD adds to this field of inquiry.

KEYWORDS:

• athletes
• dancers
• emotion regulation
• maladaptive daydreaming
• overexcitability

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Dr. Eli Somer and Dr. Nirit Soffer-Dudek for their support and encouragement. Their passion and dedication to the burgeoning field of maladaptive daydreaming is impressive and essential.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paula Thomson

Paula Thomson, PsyD, California State University, Northridge Professor, licensed Clinical Psychologist, Co-Director of the Performance Psychophysiology Laboratory, and Professor Emeritus/Senior Scholar at York University (Canada). She is the co-author of two books, Creativity and the Performing Artist: Behind the Mask and Creativity, Trauma, and Resilience and author of multiple chapters and peer-reviewed articles. She continues to work as a choreographer in dance, theatre, and opera. In 2013, she was named one of the top 20 female professors in California. Email: [email protected]

Victoria Jaque

Victoria Jaque, PhD (Exercise Science, University of Southern California), is professor and graduate coordinator in the Department of Kinesiology and Assisted Technology Studies and Human Services at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She is Co-Director of the Performance Psychophysiology Laboratory and co-author of the books, Creativity and the Performing Artist: Behind the Mask and Creativity, Trauma, and Resilience. She researches the influence of physical activity on the development of peak bone mass in humans and rodents, and how the autonomic nervous system responds to physiologic and psychological stressors in performing artists, athletes, healthy active individuals, and functional disordered patients. Email: [email protected]