BACKGROUND: Although the benefits of guided imagery are now more widely recognized, the definitions of imagery used by various health science disciplines are inconsistent. PURPOSE: To conduct an analysis of the concept of imagery as understood among the health science professions. METHODS: An inductive, descriptive means of inquiry was used to clarify the concept of imagery. Data were analyzed by categories: surrogates, attributes, contextual information (antecedents; consequences), related terms, and references. FINDINGS: The prevailing surrogate term for mental imagery is visualization. Attributes of imagery include psychophysiological, mental, quasi-reality, dynamic, and process. References include therapeutic settings. CONCLUSIONS: This concept analysis has led to the following working definition: "Imagery, a mental function, is a lived experience that is a dynamic, quasi-real, psychophysiological process." The analysis was intended to identify consensus on the concept of imagery within the health professions, and provide a foundation for further research.
BACKGROUND: Although the benefits of guided imagery are now more widely recognized, the definitions of imagery used by various health science disciplines are inconsistent. PURPOSE: To conduct an analysis of the concept of imagery as understood among the health science professions. METHODS: An inductive, descriptive means of inquiry was used to clarify the concept of imagery. Data were analyzed by categories: surrogates, attributes, contextual information (antecedents; consequences), related terms, and references. FINDINGS: The prevailing surrogate term for mental imagery is visualization. Attributes of imagery include psychophysiological, mental, quasi-reality, dynamic, and process. References include therapeutic settings. CONCLUSIONS: This concept analysis has led to the following working definition: "Imagery, a mental function, is a lived experience that is a dynamic, quasi-real, psychophysiological process." The analysis was intended to identify consensus on the concept of imagery within the health professions, and provide a foundation for further research.