The enduring appeal of psychosocial explanations of physical illness

Abstract

The idea that the mind plays a significant role in bodily health has a long history, with a popular appeal grounded in the need for personal control. A century of research into the connections between the mind and body has its roots in both psychoanalysis and physiology. While Freud outlined the metaphorical concept of conversion, the notion of stress was central to giving the mind-body connection a physiological basis. Stress paved the way for postwar research into personality as a contributing factor to health outcomes. The results of this research have been relatively disappointing, however, exhibiting declining associations, albeit with some convergence. Recent physiologically oriented r..