An Empirically-Based Formulation of Hypnotism

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Abstract
A formulation is presented which does not invoke a special state of consciousness (“hypnosis” or “trance”) to account for the behaviors that have been historically associated with the word hypnotism. Instead, so-called hypnotic behaviors—e.g., “analgesia,” “hallucination,” “age-regression,” and “amnesia”—are conceived to be functionally related to denotable antecedent variables which are similar to those that control performance in a variety of interpersonal test-situations. The antecedent variables which determine behavior in a “hypnotic” situation include Ss' attitudes, expectancies, and motivations with respect to the situation, and the wording and tone of instructions-suggestions and of questions used to elicit subjective reports. The formulation is exemplified by several dozen experimental studies, and prospects for further research are delineated.

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