ABSTRACT
The "social psychological" approach stems from White's conceptualizations of hypnotic behavior as goal-directed enactment. Gender has often been identified as important in studies of social influence, conformity, and compliance. Investigators who adopt this perspective emphasize the role enactment and situational aspects involved in the subject-hypnotist relationship. Subjects who enact the "hypnotized" role base their responses on preconceptions and expectations concerning hypnosis, and use cues in the hypnotic context and from the hypnotist to guide them in carrying out what they interpret to be appropriate behavior. Investigators espousing "special process" or "state" conceptualizations tend to view hypnotic responses as occurring automatically, and as explicable in terms of traditional notions like ideo-motor and dissociative responding. High hypnotizables agreed more often than lows with the communication and produced significantly more favorable thoughts in line with the arguments presented in the communication, in both the hypnotic and nonhypnotic contexts.
