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Personality types and hetero- versus auto-hypnosis.
1Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Ohio.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|September 1, 1989
Summary
Personality styles influence hypnotic susceptibility. Hysteric individuals responded better to the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS), while compulsive individuals showed higher hypnotizability with the Inventory of Self-Hypnosis (ISH).
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Hypnosis Research
- Personality Psychology
Background:
- Investigating the interplay between individual personality traits and responses to hypnotic procedures.
- Understanding the factors that contribute to variations in hypnotic susceptibility.
- Previous research has explored personality correlates of hypnotizability, but situational factors require further examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between distinct personality styles and hypnotic susceptibility.
- To determine if personality influences hypnotizability differently across various hypnotic induction contexts.
- To explore the roles of both personality and situational factors in hypnotic susceptibility.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Multivariate Personality Inventory (MPI) to categorize participants into five personality styles: hysteric, manic, depressive, character disorder, and compulsive.
- Administered the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS) and the Inventory of Self-Hypnosis (ISH) to assess hypnotic susceptibility.
- Analyzed the correlation between MPI-defined personality styles and hypnotic susceptibility scores obtained from HGSHS and ISH.
Main Results:
- Individuals with a hysteric personality style demonstrated significantly higher hypnotizability using the HGSHS induction method.
- Individuals with a compulsive personality style exhibited significantly greater hypnotizability when assessed with the ISH induction method.
- Significant differences in hypnotic susceptibility were observed based on personality type and the specific hypnotic procedure employed.
Conclusions:
- Personality style is a significant determinant of hypnotic susceptibility, with different styles showing varying responses to different hypnotic procedures.
- Situational factors, specifically the context of the hypnotic induction (HGSHS vs. ISH), interact with personality traits to influence hypnotizability.
- Findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of hypnotic susceptibility by integrating personality and situational variables.