The authors argue that the new definition of hypnosis by Division 30 of the American Psychological Association contains questionable information about the role of imagination in hypnosis, about the use versus omission of the word hypnosis in inductions, and about the nature of individual differences and their relation to the standardized scales. In addition, the definition appears to conflate formal and exemplar-based types of definition, and it does not seem particularly well-tuned to the interests of lay persons. The authors advance some suggestions for future definitional efforts.

Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, West Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1. ewoody@uwaterloo.ca

Posted: 10/03/2005



This article provided by The International Hypnosis Research Institute.

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