Hypnosis as Role Enactment: Focus on a Role Specific Skill

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The nature of a subject characteristic, a role-specific skill, related to hypnotic responsiveness was further investigated. Dramatic arts students (N = 80) were utilized because previous research has indicated them to be high in this skill. Our purpose was to determine the effects of dramatic practice, presumably practice in similar or identical skills as those applied to the hypnotic setting, on hypnotic responsiveness. Two independent measures of previous practice were examined: (a) the number of dramatic roles in which S had previously participated, and (b) the number of acting courses in which S had previously participated. Two other variables were measured and co-varied to eliminate their biasing effect (self-role congruence, role-expectations). The results support the notion that practice in acting skills is related to greater hypnotic responsiveness; however, the data do not provide a clear explanation of the relationship. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed.

This publication has 5 references indexed in Scilit: