Hypnotizability, Creative Capacity, Creativity Styles, Absorption, and Phenomenological Experience During Hypnosis

Abstract

The study investigated relationships between self-report measures of creative capacity, styles of creativity, hypnotizability, and absorption. Participants were 429 students enrolled in Introduction to Psychology classes. Students first completed questionnaires pertaining to creative capacity, creativity styles, and absorption. They were subsequently hypnotized using the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility: Form A (Shor & Orne, 1962) and completed the Phenomenology of Consciousness Inventory (Pekala, 1982/1991a). The pattern of results suggest that creative capacity is more closely related to absorption than hypnotizability. The support for the assertion that effortless experiencing while engaged in creative tasks and hypnotic tasks is a process that is common to both high creative and high hypnotizable subjects was weak. Hypnotizability was more strongly and negatively correlated with Volitional Control (feelings of effortless experiencing) for suggestions experienced during hypnosis than both absorption and creative capacity. Creativity styles of Belief in Unconscious Processes, Use of Techniques, Final Product Orientation (extrinsic motivation), Environmental Control and Behavioral Self-Regulation, and Superstition were negatively correlated with Volitional Control during hypnosis, but the correlations were small in magnitude.