[Perception and evaluation of symptoms in hypochondria (author's transl)]

Hypochondriacal perception and evaluation of symptoms are discussed as an abnormal cognitive process. From a phenomenological viewpoint, a self-centered focussing on the perception of bodily sensations and a restriction of risk-taking behaviour is emphasized. In behavioral terms, several cognitive mechanisms and concepts including perceptual awareness, selection, 'set' as well as signal-detection, decision processes and 'anchoring' factors are considered to be important aspects of hypochondriacal perception.