Suggestion and suggestibility as regulators of human functioning: cognitive and personality aspects Theme: Studies conducted within the framework of the self-organization theory have provided experimental evidence that individual differences in suggestibility and suggestive phenomena play a regulatory function of sensory perception and feeling. Development of the theme: A selected series of our studies are reviewed demonstrating that: (a) sensory suggestibility is tightly interconnected with perceptual instability, and 40-Hz EEG activity is sensitive to individual differences in suggestibility; (b) individual differences in suggestibility and expectancy for drug efficacy are mediators of placebo analgesia. (c) Findings obtained using an acoustic signal detection task indicate that highly suggestible individuals, as a consequence of a delivered indirect suggestion, “detected” a greater number of undelivered acoustic stimuli than low suggestible individuals. Results from our studies demonstrate that individual differences in suggestibility may account for this aspect of inner systemic instability and the effect of suggestion as dissociation represent an adaptive solution to this instability. In another study (d) correlation analysis among warmth suggestibility, hypnotic susceptibility (SHSS:C and HGSHS:A), expectancy, motivation and personality subdimensions of absorption, dissociation, and schizotypy highlighted the multi componential dimensionality of suggestibility. Findings evidenced a weak relationship between warmth suggestibility and personality variables, although aesthetic involvement in nature, a facet of absorption, accounted for about 14% of the total variance. The best predictor of warmth suggestibility and hypnotizability was response expectancy. Conclusions: It is argued that individual differences in suggestibility and suggestive phenomena are an aspect of our natural capacity, and that they have a specific adaptive value in many psychological functions as such as regulatory function of sensory perception and feeling. The multidimensionality of suggestibility and the difficulty of defining this dimension in terms of other related personality components is outlinded, and some correlational data showing the multicomponential dimensionality of suggestibility are provided.

Suggestion und Suggestibilität als Regulatoren menschlichen Funktionierens: Kognitive und Persönlichkeitsaspekte / DE PASCALIS, Vilfredo. - In: HYPNOSE. - ISSN 1862-4731. - STAMPA. - 6(1+2):(2011), pp. 109-140.

Suggestion und Suggestibilität als Regulatoren menschlichen Funktionierens: Kognitive und Persönlichkeitsaspekte.

DE PASCALIS, Vilfredo
2011

Abstract

Suggestion and suggestibility as regulators of human functioning: cognitive and personality aspects Theme: Studies conducted within the framework of the self-organization theory have provided experimental evidence that individual differences in suggestibility and suggestive phenomena play a regulatory function of sensory perception and feeling. Development of the theme: A selected series of our studies are reviewed demonstrating that: (a) sensory suggestibility is tightly interconnected with perceptual instability, and 40-Hz EEG activity is sensitive to individual differences in suggestibility; (b) individual differences in suggestibility and expectancy for drug efficacy are mediators of placebo analgesia. (c) Findings obtained using an acoustic signal detection task indicate that highly suggestible individuals, as a consequence of a delivered indirect suggestion, “detected” a greater number of undelivered acoustic stimuli than low suggestible individuals. Results from our studies demonstrate that individual differences in suggestibility may account for this aspect of inner systemic instability and the effect of suggestion as dissociation represent an adaptive solution to this instability. In another study (d) correlation analysis among warmth suggestibility, hypnotic susceptibility (SHSS:C and HGSHS:A), expectancy, motivation and personality subdimensions of absorption, dissociation, and schizotypy highlighted the multi componential dimensionality of suggestibility. Findings evidenced a weak relationship between warmth suggestibility and personality variables, although aesthetic involvement in nature, a facet of absorption, accounted for about 14% of the total variance. The best predictor of warmth suggestibility and hypnotizability was response expectancy. Conclusions: It is argued that individual differences in suggestibility and suggestive phenomena are an aspect of our natural capacity, and that they have a specific adaptive value in many psychological functions as such as regulatory function of sensory perception and feeling. The multidimensionality of suggestibility and the difficulty of defining this dimension in terms of other related personality components is outlinded, and some correlational data showing the multicomponential dimensionality of suggestibility are provided.
2011
Suggestion und Suggestibilitat Kognitive und Personlichkeitsaspekte
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Suggestion und Suggestibilität als Regulatoren menschlichen Funktionierens: Kognitive und Persönlichkeitsaspekte / DE PASCALIS, Vilfredo. - In: HYPNOSE. - ISSN 1862-4731. - STAMPA. - 6(1+2):(2011), pp. 109-140.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/508588
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