The concept of behavioral specificity: three concepts

A brief review of specificity theories in relationship to illness is identified. Psychosomatic medicine has gradually moved from unitary-specificity relationships to multi-specificity ones. This movement has been determined by the increasing number of factors that are temporally and sequentially related to illness. The relationship of specific factors to disease is seen as derivative, generative or coincidental. Particular attention is addressed to the social life field in which illness develops, is responded to by the patient and treated by the physician. The emerging field of behavioral analysis allows for the identification of discrete factors which may be correlated with specific behaviors. Such relationships are amenable to behavioral interventions which are specific. Change is measurable. The patient takes an active part in the therapy by noting the relationship of environmental events to specific reactions. As these are recognized through encouragement, relaxation, desensitization and reinforcement, maladaptive responses are replaced by adaptive ones.