Psychology2016

160 CHAPTER 4

HYPNOSIS AS DISSOCIATION: THE HIDDEN OBSERVER Ernest Hilgard (1991; Hilgard &

Hilgard, 1994) believed that hypnosis worked only on the immediate conscious mind of a

person, while a part of that person’s mind (a “hidden observer”) remained aware of all that

was going on. It’s the same kind of dissociation that takes place when people drive some-

where familiar and then wonder how they got there. One part of the mind, the conscious

part, is thinking about dinner or a date or something else, while the other part is doing

the actual driving. When people arrive at their destination, they don’t really remember the

actual trip. In the same way, Hilgard believes that there is a hidden part of the mind that is

very much aware of the hypnotic subject’s activities and sensations, even though the “hyp-

notized” part of the mind is blissfully unaware of these same things.

In one study (Miller & Bowers, 1993), subjects were hypnotized and told to put

their arms in ice water, although they were instructed to feel no pain. There had to be

pain—most people can’t even get an ice cube out of the freezer without some pain—but

subjects reported no pain at all. The subjects who were successful at denying the pain

also reported that they imagined being at the beach or in some other place that allowed

them to dissociate* from the pain.

HYPNOSIS AS SOCIAL ROLE-PLAYING: THE SOCIAL- COGNITIVE EXPLANATION The

other theory of why hypnosis works began with an experiment in which participants

who were not hypnotized were instructed to behave as if they were (Sarbin & Coe, 1972).

These participants had no trouble copying many actions previously thought to require

a hypnotic state, such as being rigidly suspended between two chairs. The researchers

also found that participants who were not familiar with hypnosis and had no idea what

the “role” of a hypnotic subject was supposed to be could not be hypnotized.

Add to those findings the later findings that expectancies of the hypnotized person

play a big part in how the person responds and what the person does under hypnosis

(Kirsch, 2000). The social-cognitive theory of hypnosis assumes that people who are hyp-

notized are not in an altered state but are merely playing the role expected of them in the

situation. They might believe that they are hypnotized, but in fact it is all a very good perfor-

mance, so good that even the “participants” are unaware that they are role-playing. Social

roles are very powerful influences on behavior, as anyone who has ever worn a uniform can

understand—the uniform stands for a particular role that becomes very easy to play (Zim-

bardo, 1970; Zimbardo et al., 2000). to Learning Objective 12.14.

Stage hypnotists often make use of people’s
willingness to believe that something
ordinary is extraordinary. This woman was
hypnotized and suspended between two
chairs after the person supporting her
middle stepped away. The hypnotist led the
audience to believe that she could not do
this unless hypnotized, but in reality anyone
can do this while fully conscious.

social-cognitive theory of hypnosis
theory that assumes that people who
are hypnotized are not in an altered
state but are merely playing the role
expected of them in the situation.

*dissociate: break a connection with something.

theories

dissociation: one part of the mind is aware of actions/activities taking place, while the “hypnotized” part is not

social-cognitive theory suggests that people assume roles based on expectations for a given situation

Hypnosis

(state of consciousness during which person is more susceptible to suggestion)

can be assessed by scale of hypnotic susceptibility

induction typically involves relaxed focus and “permission to let go”;

person being hypnotized is in control and cannot be hypnotized against his or her will

can be used in therapy—helps people deal with pain, anxiety, or cravings (e.g., food, drug)

Concept Map L.O. 4.9, 4.10

Interactive

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