CONSTRUCT-VALIDITY OF THE DISSOCIATIVE EXPERIENCES SCALE .2. ITS RELATIONSHIP TO HYPNOTIZABILITY

Undergraduates (n=31 1) who volunteered to participate in an experiment on "Hypnotizability and Personality" filled out several personality questionnaires (including the Dissociative Experiences Scale; DES), were administered the Harvard Group Scale of Hypnotic Susceptibility (HGSHS), and completed a self-rating of hypnotizability. The DES overall score correlated significantly with the HGSHS summary score (r(309)=.12, p<.05, two-tailed) and with subject's self-rating of hypnotizability (r(309)=.13, p<.05, two-tailed). The magnitude of these correlations was similar to that observed in a previous study (.14 & .18) and is also similar in magnitude to the correlations typically observed between the HGSHS and the Tellegen Absorption Scale. The potential clinical implications of these findings are discussed.