ON THE RELATION OF BODY AND MENTAL AFFECTIVE PROCESSES WITHIN DIFFERENT GROUPS OF PSYCHOSOMATIC-DISORDERS

The affective process is described as governing at least three different subsystems, expression, cognition and physiology. Different forms of interconnections between them are considered as substantial for two different psychosomatic subgroups. Patients with colitis ulcerosa should have a deficiency of the experienced and expressed affectivity. In contrast patients with functional psychosomatic disturbances should show signs of inhibition with measurable indicators of the repressed affective impulse. 20 male psychosomatic patients suffering from colitis ulcerosa (10) or functional spine disturbances (10) interacted with healthy same sex subjects unknown to them. 20 healthy subjects served as a control group. The affective behavior was analyzed using EMFACS, an emotional facial action cording system, as well as DES, the differential emotion scale. For patients with ulcerative colitis a significant reduction of facial activity is characteristic. Whereas patients with functional spine disturbances are excessive in the same behavior. The observable reduction is however centered around affective arousal indicators not the primary affects per se. The observable differences between expressed affectivity and the experience did not reach significance mainly, because the great variability of the patients with functional spine disturbances. Clinical impressions are confirmed however not with exactly the phenomena the clinicians thought.