Kenneth s. Bowers, interactionism and hypnosis.

Like most seminal thinkers in hypnosis, Kenneth Bowers' interests and contributions have ranged beyond that particular domain. The list of his published works is impressive by anyone's standards, and includes important contributions in the areas of health, psychotherapy, and hypnosis. This paper will focus on his major contribution to personality theory, "Situationism in Psychology: An Analysis and Critique," published in 1973 in the Psychological Review.

Advancing Research and Practice: The Revised APA Division 30 Definition of Hypnosis.

This article describes the history, rationale, and guidelines for developing a new definition of hypnosis by the Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association. The definition was developed with the aim of being concise, being heuristic, and allowing for alternative theories of the mechanisms (to be determined in empirical scientific study). The definition of hypnosis is presented as well as definitions of the following related terms: hypnotic induction, hypnotizability, and hypnotherapy. The implications for advancing research and practice are discussed. The definitions are presented within the article.

Advancing research and practice: the revised APA Division 30 definition of hypnosis.

This article describes the history, rationale, and guidelines for developing a new definition of hypnosis by the Society of Psychological Hypnosis, Division 30 of the American Psychological Association. The definition was developed with the aim of being concise, heuristic, and allowing for alternative theories of the mechanisms (to be determined in empirical scientific study). The definition of hypnosis is presented as well as definitions of the following related terms: hypnotic induction, hypnotizability, and hypnotherapy. The implications for advancing research and practice are discussed. The definitions are presented within the article.

Hypnotic enhancement of creative drawing.

A hypnotically based intervention to enhance creativity in drawing was evaluated in a controlled study. Participants were randomly assigned to either a hypnotic treatment or a nonhypnotic (task-motivational) control treatment. Subjects drew a standard still-life tableau twice. The first drawing involved no special instructions and provided a baseline measure of creativity in drawing. The second drawing was completed after the creativity-enhancement procedure. The drawings were rated blindly on several dimensions of artistic creativity. Hypnotizability, absorption, and debriefing measures were also administered. Results indicated that the hypnotic procedure had significantly greater effects on creativity in drawing. However, there were no significant main effects or interactions involving hypnotizability or absorption. Hypnotic and task-motivational groups did not differ on debriefing measures regarding their experience.

Examining the absorption-hypnotizability link: the roles of acquiescence and consistency motivation.

The Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS) is one of the few personality measures commonly found to correlate with hypnotizability. However, a number of studies have found that the correlation is strongly influenced by contextual factors. Three studies examined acquiescence (or "yea-saying") and consistency motivation as possible contributors to context effects on the absorption-hypnotizability link. Results indicate that acquiescence and consistency effects are likely to influence the level of association between the TAS and hypnotic responsiveness.

Does the positive keying of the TAS inflate the absorption-hypnotizability link?

The search for correlates of hypnotic responsiveness has been largely unsuccessful, with the notable exception of the construct "absorption." The Tellegen Absorption Scale (TAS) has been shown to correlate with hypnotic responsiveness, particularly if the two measures are administered in the same testing context or setting. The present study set out to determine whether the all-true, positively keyed format of the TAS inflates the absorption-hypnotizability link. With a sample of 466 participants, the authors show that wording the TAS items in either a positive or negative direction does not affect the correlation between the TAS and the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility, Form A.

Personalidad, psicopatología y sugestionabilidad hipnótica / No disponible

En esta revisión se contrasta la investigación académica y clínica relacionada con la sugestionabilidad hipnótica. La investigación académica básica usando medidas estandarizadas ha demostrado varias relaciones consistentes y significativas. La investigación sobre el constructo, absorción, y otras variables relacionadas con la habilidad imaginativa parecía prometedora, pero investigación posterior indicó que los resultados estaban influidos por el contexto de la evaluación. En general, la investigación básica sobre personalidad y sugestionabilidad hipnótica indica que pueden haber correlaciones válidas, pero los niveles de las relaciones son bajas. Sin embargo, la investigación clínica sobre la relación de varios síntomas psicopatológicos y síndromes indica la existencia de relaciones significativas entre alta sugestionabilidad hipnótica y psicopatología. Se discute las razones de la discrepancia entre los hallazgos de las investigaciones académicas y clínicas (AU)

Academic and clinical research on correlates of hypnotic suggestibility is contrasted in this review. Basic academic research using standardized measures has yielded few consistent, significant relationships. Research on the construct, absorption, and other variables related to imaginative ability seemed promising, but further research indicated that results were biased by the context of assessment. Overall, basic research on personality and hypnotic suggestibility indicates that there may be some valid correlates, but the levels of the relationships are quite low. However, clinical research on the relationship of various psychopathological symptoms and syndromes indicates a number of meaningful relationships between high hypnotic suggestibility and psychopathology. Reasons for the discrepancy between academic and clinical research findings are discussed (AU)

A comparison of chronic pain between an urban and rural population.

Residents of rural and urban areas of North Dakota were surveyed regarding chronic pain. Participants (N = 188) responded to questions pertaining to the prevalence and characteristics of chronic pain, quality of life, and social support. Overall, 58% of the participants reported chronic pain, with arthritis as the leading cause, the lower back as the main location, and oral medication as the most common treatment. Individuals from rural and urban locations differed significantly in the rate of chronic pain reported. Participants with chronic pain reported a significantly lower quality of life than individuals without chronic pain.

The "big five" and hypnotic suggestibility.

A recent approach to personality measurement argues that the essential personality traits are encompassed by 5 basic factors: openness/intellect, conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness, and extraversion. This study used the Big Five Inventory to test the hypothesis that 1 or more of the 5 factors underlie hypnotic suggestibility. No meaningful relationships between hypnotic suggestibility and any of the 5 factors were found.

A historical overview of hypnotizability assessment.

The development of scales for assessing hypnotic suggestibility is reviewed. Nineteenth century origins are discussed along with examples of scales. Next, research measures developed and published in the first half of the 20th century are reviewed, followed by an overview of scales in current use. This overview attempts to show how past conceptions and scales have influenced current measurement methodology.

Comparison of lumbar paravertebral EMG patterns in chronic low back pain patients and non-patient controls.

According to myogenic models that relate abnormal EMG patterns to the experience of pain, lumbar paravertebral muscle activity has been considered to play an important role in chronic low back pain. In the present study, 40 chronic low back pain patients and 40 matched non-patient controls were compared on lumbar paravertebral EMG during mechanically stabilized static and dynamic postures. Differences between groups in lumbar curvature and spinal range of motion were determined using a dual goniometer technique. Although the two groups did not differ on absolute levels of EMG during quiet standing, significant differences were found for EMG patterns during dynamic postures. In addition, most patients did not show the flexion-relaxation response or the expected pattern of EMG responses during trunk rotation, most likely because of restricted range of motion and/or compensatory posturing. These findings provide support for the biomechanical model of chronic pain and indicate the need for further research pertaining to pain behavior and movement-related lumbar muscle activity.

Expectancies and functional impairment in chronic low back pain.

Perceived self-efficacy [2] and pain response expectancies [13] were examined as correlates of movement limitations and impaired functioning in a sample of 40 patients with chronic low back pain. Self-efficacy was operationalized as patients' ratings of their ability to perform movements, while response expectancies were operationalized as ratings of the degree of pain expected to accompany the movements. Patients predicted their ability to perform 10 simple movements and the degree of pain that would accompany each movement; on a separate occasion, subjects' actual performance of the movements was assessed. In general, independent predictions of both movement ability and pain correlated significantly with performance of specific movements as rated from videotapes. Total movement scores correlated 0.55 and -0.54, respectively, with total self-efficacy and pain response expectancy ratings. Expectancy ratings were also predictive of average daily pain ratings and questionnaire ratings of physical impairment in everyday life. Multiple regression analyses, including causal modeling, indicated that actual performance was best predicted by self-efficacy ratings, which in turn appeared to be determined by pain response expectancies.