Posthypnotic conflict, repression, and psychopathology.

12 hypnotized, male undergraduates were given posthypnotic conflicts involving sexual or aggressive impulses toward an older, attractive woman. The 2 conflicts were implanted on separate occasions and were activated posthypnotically by the presentation of conflict words presented randomly at each of 3 levels of impulse intensity. 5 susceptible Ss (male undergraduates) were given instructions to simulate hypnosis. The hypnotic group produced significantly more symptoms and GSRs than the simulating group, and poor repressors produced significantly more symptoms and GSRs than good repressors with respect to the posthypnotic activation of anger and a destructive impulse. The 2 conflicts did not differ from each other on the dependent variables, and poor repressors and good repressors for both conflicts did not differ on measures of drive representation to TAT stories. A particular order of symptoms was generated as repression weakened, and the degree of repression conceptually resolved the discrepancy between 2 theories of psychosomatic symptoms. (32 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)