Hypochondriasis can be conceptualized in four ways: 1) as a psychiatric
syndrome composed of "functional" somatic symptoms, fear of disease, bodily
preoccupation, and the persistent pursuit of medical care, 2)
psychodynamically, as a derivative of aggressive or oral drives or as a
defense against guilt or low self-esteem, 3) as a perceptual amplification
of bodily sensations and their cognitive misinterpretation, and 4) as
socially learned illness behavior eliciting interpersonal rewards. There is
evidence supporting each of these views, but much more investigation is
needed. The authors propose the general concept of somatic style--in
particular, an amplifying style--which could be used to investigate symptom
formation, bodily perception, and medical illness as a psychological and
social event.Abstract Teaser