role-enactment theory

an explanation of hypnosis as a social phenomenon, claiming that the hypnotized individual nonconsciously takes on the socially constructed role of a hypnotic subject and behaves accordingly. Belonging to the category of nonstate theories of hypnosis, it was conceived in the 1950s by Theodore R. Sarbin, who developed the idea from his more general theory of role enactment in social behavior. See assumed role.

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Psychology term of the day

January 15th 2025

myopathy

n. any disease or disorder of the muscles, hereditary or acquired. The term is usually qualified by an adjective that specifies the type of myopathy or its cause. For example, acute alcoholic myopathy and hereditary myopathy suggest a cause, whereas ocular myopathy defines the affected area as the muscles that control eye movements, and neuromyopathy refers to a disorder of the nerves and muscles combined.