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Related Experiment Videos

Beyond secondary gain.

J J van Egmond1

  • 1Ambulant Care, Stichting Adhesie GGZ Midden-Overijssel, Netherlands, j.vanegmond@adhesie.nl

American Journal of Psychoanalysis
|June 17, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Seeking external rewards can unconsciously worsen illness symptoms. This phenomenon, linked to the need to be ill, explains why some patients experience deterioration despite societal support systems.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Psychiatry
  • Psychoanalysis

Background:

  • Freud's theory on resistance suggests a link between the need for punishment and the need for illness.
  • Modern societal structures offer support and regulations conducive to illness behavior.

Observation:

  • Individuals consciously seeking external gains from illness may experience heightened subjective symptoms.
  • This unconscious process can lead to an exacerbation of illness and deterioration.

Findings:

  • A conscious desire for external illness gain can trigger unconscious psychological mechanisms.
  • The concept of 'the need to be ill' explains how external rewards can intensify illness experiences.
  • Patients may unknowingly experience worsening health due to these unconscious motivations.

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Implications:

  • Understanding this mechanism is crucial for effective patient treatment and therapeutic interventions.
  • It highlights the complex interplay between conscious motivations and unconscious psychological processes in health.
  • Further research into illness behavior and external reward systems is warranted.