PSYC 3140 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Medically Unexplained Physical Symptoms, Dissociative Identity Disorder, Dissociative Disorder
15 Jul 2015
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In munchausen syndrome by proxy, a related disorder, parents make up or produce physical illnesses in their children: go as far as to take medications and injections to make themselves appear sick. The disorder often develops after an accident or illness that has caused genuine pain: the disorder may begin at any age, and more women than men seem to experience it. What causes conversion and somatic symptom disorders: previously called hysterical disorders- tries to express that excessive and uncontrollable emotions underlie the physical symptoms. They continue to believe that sufferers of these disorders have unconscious conflicts carried from childhood which cause anxiety that is expressed physically: psychodynamic theorists propose that two mechanisms are at work in these disorders: Primary gain: symptoms keep internal conflicts out of conscious awareness. Secondary gain: symptoms further enable people to avoid unpleasant activities or receive sympathy from: the behavioral view, behavioral theorists propose that the physical symptoms of these disorders bring rewards to sufferers.
