[Affect processing in psychosomatic patients. II]

This study is the continuation of an earlier investigation (Ahrens, 1984) concerned with the working-through of affects in patients suffering from psychosomatic disorders. In the present study a group of psychosomatic patients is compared to a group of patients with organic complaints. Using the same methods (showing of film episodes in accordance with an experimental design, evaluation of the working-through of affects both on the cognitive and on the subconcious level) it was attempted to obtain findings of greater universality. Therefore, in contrast to the first investigation, the film episodes were of normal every-day situations in order to avoid as far as possible any personal involvement of the test subjects. The results confirm an important finding from the previous investigation, namely that even in psychosomatic patients a high rate of reaction to affective stimuli on the subconcious level can be observed. In contrast to the earlier investigated situation of intensive personal involvement, however, the group of patients suffering from psychosomatic disorders and the control group did not differ on the cognitive level with regard to their perception of the affective content of the film episodes.