ABSTRACT
Up to this point we have considered some of the historical antecedents to modern contemporary research and have discussed six distinct models of hypnosis. We have analyzed the respective contributions of each of the models to our understanding of hypnosis, both in terms of the methodological strategies they adopt-specfically to answer the problems associated with them-and in terms of the theory that implicitly, or explicitly, underlies them. Each model clearly has utility in so far as it gives us insight into how to solve problems not associated with alternative models. In all, three essential concerns have dictated the kind of discussion we have offered. We have tried to analyze closely (a) the validity of inferences associated with each of the paradigms taken up, (b) the potential artifacts associated with the models individually, and (c) the distinctive contribution each model makes to our understanding of hypnotic phenomena.
