Fantasy proneness and hypnotizability: another look

Abstract

It has long been theorized that individuals who spend a great deal of time engaged in fantasy and report profound imaginative involvements are highly hypnotizable (see Wilson and Barber, 1981, 1983a In a groundbreaking research programme, J.R. Hilgard (1965Hilgard ( , 1970) elaborated the construct of imaginative involvement as a central dimension underlying hypnotic responsiveness. Her intensive interview study was designed to predict hypnotic responsiveness in advance of hypnosis. Her research revealed that good hypnotic subjects were more likely to report a longstanding history of imaginative involvements in sensory experiences, reading and the dramatic arts than persons who were not good hypnotic subjects.Closely allied to the concept of imaginative involvement is the construct of 'absorption ' (Tellegen and Atkinson, 1974). Absorption refers to the capacity for absorbed and self-altering attention that is presumed to represent an essential component of hypnotizability. Research supportive of the dual constructs of absorption and imaginative involvement derives from early studies using inventories that documented an association between hypnotic susceptibility and imaginative involvements characterized by deep absorption and concentration, pleasure and loss of awareness of external reality (Shor, Orne and O'Connell, 1962;Lee-Teng, 1965;Hilgard, 1979). Studies of more recent vintage (see de Groh, 1989;Council, Kirsch and Grant, 1996) using scales specifi cally designed to measure 'absorption' have also provided confi rmatory data, documenting a modest association (r = 0.21-0.4) between hypnotic susceptibility and absorption when the tests are administered in the same experimental context.

Hypnotic Responsiveness:Expectancy, Attitudes, Fantasy Proneness, Absorption, and Gender

“…Future research will need to determine whether our expectancy measure continues to predict hypnotic responsiveness after controlling for nonhypnotic suggestibility and when administered with individual measures of hypnotic responsiveness such as the Stanford scales and/or in more clinical contexts. Downloaded by [University of California Santa Cruz] at 14:45 03 December 2014 Consistent with results from two recent previous studies (Green & Lynn, 2008; Studies 1 and 2), we found the overall correlation between the ICMI and HGSHS:A to hover around the r = .30 mark. An important finding from the current study was that the association between the ICMI and the HGSHS:A was not affected by the administration order of the scales.…”

“…Our finding that female participants, relative to males, averaged half-point higher scores is identical to what Rudski et al (2004) observed across a sample of over 1800 participants tested with the HGSHS:A. Our findings are consistent with previous research showing that when differences occur females tend to score higher than males on measures of hypnotizability and the ICMI (e.g., see also Gibson, 1977;Green & Lynn, 2008).…”

“…Wilson and Barber (1983b) developed the Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings (ICMI) as a measure of "fantasy proneness," claiming that this personality attribute characterized highly hypnotizable individuals. Across two studies, Green and Lynn (2008) reported the correlation between the ICMI and hypnotic responsiveness to hover around .30 (see Rhue & Lynn, 1989, for similar findings). Moreover, measures of the related construct of absorption (Tellegen & Atkinson, 1974) also correlate with hypnotizability at .21 to .40 (Council, Kirsch, & Grant, 1996).…”

“…Green and Green (2010) reported different regression models for male and female participants when assessing measures such as absorption as predictors of hypnotizability. Green and Lynn (2008) earlier reported that female participants, on average, scored higher on the ICMI relative to male participants. Other researchers (see Rudski, Marra, & Graham, 2004;Gibson, 1977) have reported that female participants often slightly outscore males on measures of hypnotizability.…”

What Moves You? Testing Personality Characteristics for Transportability in Entertainment

“…The fantasy prone individual is one whom is highly likely to be deeply absorbed in fantasy, with the ability to fantasize most of the day, and even "experience" their fantasies through hallucinations [26]. Those high in fantasy proneness are often easily hypnotized, believe they have experienced paranormal encounters or have the ability to experience them, and can easily dissociate themselves from a situation, though dissociation is often tied to a psychological disorder or hypnosis [27][28][29][30][31][32].…”