Psychodynamic theorists propose that two mechanisms are at work in hysterical disorders?
Psychodynamic theorists propose that two mechanisms are at work in hysterical disorders?
Sigmund Freud was the founding father of Psychoanalysis. He developed a theory of personality explaining the causes of mental disorders. His theory was based on the impact of childhood experience in overall development of the personality.
His psychodynamic approach states that our personality forms during our childhood and interaction with parents or adults further shapes our personality. He believed that the problem arises from the traumatic experiences from the childhood which isn't consciously known in the form of neurosis in the adulthood.
Hysteria also known as conversion disorder is a mental disorder in which some physiological symptoms appears in a person without any cause of physical illness, which affects the sensory, motor or cognitive functioning in a person.
Hysteria as a disorder was removed from the Diagnostic and statistical manual of Mental disorders, now is considered as a symptoms or diagnostic condition of Somatoform disorders. Primarily Conversion disorders.
Freud gave the concept of primary and secondary gain in his psychodynamic theory of symptom formation. Primary and secondary gain are described in medicine as a psychological motivators that emerges from our subconscious mind.
Primary gain produces positive internal motivations, An unconscious defensive action taken by our mind in order to reduce anxiety or guilt, which is a gain, causes a conversion or hysteric symptom in a person. An outsider might not be able to detect the "gain". Example; A person who is a participating as a team player in a baseball match but he is not a good player and he will feel embarrassed while playing in front of everyone , has his arm paralyzed voluntarily, this medical condition justifying his inability will reduce his fear or guilt (gain). If the person breaks his legs or exaggerates his symptoms for primary gain then this is a factitious disorder.
Secondary gain produces positive external motivations, when a person gets to avoid the situation or an activity which he didn't want to face due to the physical conversion symptoms and has some external motivators, then it a secondary gain. Example: A person who has to do the house chores, feels ache in his stomach (a conversion symptom) and takes rest and watches his aunt as she completes all his chores. If the person exaggerates or fabricates his symptoms in order to skip his tasks or chores then this is considered as Malingering.
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