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Background: The World Association of Social Psychiatry (SP) and the International College of Person-Centered Medicine (PCM), while having their own background and goals, share some significant interests and concerns, raising hope for collaboration and synergism. Consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic that is severely challenging the world may also offer opportunities for organizations and programmatic perspectives to reflect on and optimize their paths. Objectives: This article is aimed at delineating a pattern of points of conceptual and strategic articulation between SP and PCM as perceived by scholars familiar with these perspectives, and to examine their implications for general health care and for responding to the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This is primarily a consultation study involving clinical scholars familiar with the two perspectives at hand around a list of prospective articulation points between SP and PCM based on a selective literature review. The specific methods engaged involved elucidation of prominent SP/PCM articulation patterns through tabular displays of panelist ratings and contrast between such articulation points and recommendations from the UN and WHO for advancing general health care and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The initial explorative elucidation of potential articulation points between SP and PCM, including a) Contextualized approach, b) Ethical commitment, c) Humanization of medicine, d) Concern for broad determinants of health, e) Commitment to health care and public health, and f) Contributing to UN SDGs, was supported by the ratings of panelists familiar with both perspectives and the recommendations of authoritative international health declarations (including those focused on COVID-19 response). This was particularly the case for complementary concern for health care and public health, a contextualized person/whole society approach, and ethical commitment to persons' values. Conclusions: The thrust of the results of the present study and their contrast with the emerging professional and scientific literature stimulated by the COVID-19 pandemic affords clarification and validity on the concepts and strategies of SP and PCM and opens new avenues for useful collaboration.

This paper presents the field of psycholexicology as an area of study concerned with etimology, meaning, and social legitimacy of the terms employed in psychiatric discourse, conceived of as the disciplinary foundation of clinical and research psychiatry. The influence of semantic constraints on structure and usage of psychopathological diagnosis is emphasized. Work in progress related to translation and cultural biases in terminology is briefly described.

Psychiatry, as a medica! speciality, has experienced a number 01 depth changes in the last 100 years. This old "mental science ", as it was named by the Brit...

Contemporary psychosomatics is a research-based technical discipline and its social power depends on how scientific knowledge is obtained and applied in practice, considering cultural contexts. This article presents the view that the dialogical principles on which bioethical discourse is based are more inclusive than professional ethics and philosophical reflection. The distinction is advanced between rule-guided behavior and norm-justifiable acts (substantiation and justification). The practical implications of good practices in the generation of valid, reliable, generalizable and applicable knowledge are emphasized. For practitioners and researchers, the need to reflect on the distinction between patient and research participant can avoid the therapeutic misunderstanding, a form of abuse of the doctor-patient relationship. In addition, in resource-poor settings, the dilemma presented by the know-do gap (inapplicability of research results due to financial or social constraints) is part of the ethics' realm of the profession. Future prospects include a wider use of research results in practice, but avoidance of the know-do gap (the disparity between what is known and what can be done, particularly in settings with limited resources) requires a synthetic and holistic approach to medical ethics, combining moral reflection, theoretical analysis and empirical data.

Nonclinical populations of male and female subjects of middle socioeconomic level and different age ranges were assessed by means of the content analysis method developed by Gottschalk and associates. Verbal samples consisted of written productions in response to a standard ambiguous instruction to narrate a dramatic or interesting life experience and were scored for anxiety and hostility. Results show that the method shows no influence of gender under the conditions of this study and can be employed for diagnostic purposes, assuming that personality factors and psychopathological influences might have a more pronounced impact on affect scores.

Objetivo. Realizar el diagnóstico sobre la inserción de temas relacionados con la ética en cursos de pregrado de medicina en Brasil. Materiales y métodos. Estudio de corte transversal, retrospectivo histórico y exploratorio descriptivo. Se analizaron proyectos pedagógicos de 175 escuelas de Brasil. Se realizó una búsqueda activa en los documentos a través del análisis de aparición de términos con base en indexadores DeCS/MeSH. Los datos se correlacionaron con las informaciones relativas a los modelos pedagógicos de aprendizaje utilizados: metodologías activas (discusiones tutoriales en pequeños grupos y proyecto pedagógico integrado en módulos/ejes) o metodologías tradicionales (clases expositivas para grupo numeroso y proyecto pedagógico separado por disciplinas), y se realizaron los siguientes análisis: frecuencia de la inserción de temas agrupados y carga horaria media semestral de estos temas. Resultados. En los currículos analizados se observó que 95 cursos de pregrado en medicina utilizaban metodologías tradicionales de aprendizaje. Los temas agrupados más frecuentes fueron: ética médica; conducta profesional; deontología médica; procedimientos éticos; teología, filosofía, sociología y humanismo; ética en investigación; bioética en salud colectiva; y donación, muerte y eutanasia. La prueba de correlación de Spearman entre la presencia de metodologías activas y tradicionales fue Ps = 0,814 (α = 0,014; IC 95%). Conclusión. Más del 80% de escuelas con metodología activa presentan una carga horaria sobre ética de 50-100 h, mientras que más del 60% de escuelas con metodología tradicional destinan una carga horaria inferior a 50 h para estos temas.

Left handers and women show less anatomical brain asymmetry, larger corpus callosum and more bilateral representation of specific functions. Sensory and cognitive components of cortical auditory evoked potentials (AEF) have been shown to be asymmetric in right handed males and to be influenced by stimulus intensity. In this study the influence of sex, handedness and stimulus intensity upon AEP components is investigated under basal conditions of passive attention. 14 right handed males, 14 right handed females, 14 left handed males, and 14 left handed females were studied while lying awake and paying passive attention to auditory stimulation (series of 100 binaural clicks, duration 1 msec, rate 1/sec, at four intensities). Cz, C3 and C4 referenced to linked mastoids and right EOG were recorded. Analysis time was 400 msec, average evoked potentials were based on 100 clicks. Stimulus intensity and gender affect early sensory components (P1N1 and N1P2) at central leads, asymmetry is influenced only by handedness, right handers showing larger P1N1 amplitudes over the right hemisphere. Los sujetos zurdos y de sexo femenino tienden a exhibir menores grados de asimetria anatómica, mayores diámetros del cuerpo calloso y mayor representación bilateral de funciones específicas. Los componentes sensoriales y cognitivos del potencial evocado auditivo (PEA) cortical han demostrado sensibilidad a la intensidad de estimulación y asimetría en sujetos masculinos. En este estudio se investiga la influencia de sexo, ma-nualidad e intensidad de la estimulación sobre los componentes corticales del PEA. 56 sujetos voluntarios fueron sometidos a estimulación auditiva (series de 100 clicks binaurales, duración de 1 mseg, frecuencia de 1/seg, a cuatro diferentes intensidades) instruyéndoseles a prestar atención pasiva. Se registró derivaciones Cz, C3 y C4 referidas a mastoides bilateral y electrooculograma derecho, el tiempo de análisis fue de 400 mseg, los promedios fueron obtenidos sobre 100 clicks. La intensidad de la estimulación y el sexo afectan los componentes sesoriales corticales P1N1 y N1P2 en la derivación central. La asimetria sólo es influenciada por la manualidad; los Ss diestros exhiben mayores amplitudes P1N1 en el hemisferio derecho.

The 'quality of life' is a construct which many researchers are attempting to measure by means of self-rating procedures and by ratings from external observers. Another method of measuring this construct includes features of both the self-report method and the external observer rating method, and by doing so it minimizes some of the measurement errors inherent in the separate methods; this third method involves the content analysis of verbal behavior. This latter method preserves the reliability and validity of the scales that have been developed and tested for content analysis, while preserving the meanings intended by the subjects who are being assessed on this dimension, which meanings are often obscured or lost through self-report and ratings scales. A group of Content Scales especially applicable to assess the quality of life are reviewed and examples of their applicability are given. A discussion is provided dealing with special problems involving the assessment of this dimension, including cross-cultural issues and other factors that need consideration with respect to generalizability of the findings.

This paper reports on associations between Neuroticism (N), Psychoticism (P), Extraversion (E) and Lie (L) scores of the EPQ-R and anxiety and hostility measured through verbal content analysis of 10-min written samples collected under standardized procedures in a group of 338 men and 151 women between 15 and 64 years in age. P correlated negatively with number of words and positively with anxiety and hostility in men but not in women. E correlated positively with number of words and negatively with shame and guilt anxiety. N showed positive correlation with these two types of anxiety only in the whole sample. L scores did not correlate with anxiety or hostility. In the sample studied, a negative correlation between P and L was evinced. Results are discussed in terms of mood prediction through personality measures, gender influences and the differential hypothesis of state-trait relationships.

In a sample of 63 female suicide attempters, EPQ-R Psychoticism appeared as the most relevant dimension related to hopelessness, suicidal ideation and number of previous attempts. Extraversion correlated negatively with most measures associated with the attempt (depression, hopelessness, suicide ideation, suicide intention and number of previous attempts). Neuroticism showed a tendency to correlate with two measures of suicide ideation. Data are discussed in terms of the usefulness of the EPQ-R for suicide evaluation and prevention.

The paper deals with a comparison between verbal affective interventions by the same psychoanalyst in different therapeutic settings, individual and group therapy. Since the same therapist is involved, an exploration of interactional aspects of his therapeutic style becomes possible, taking into consideration his theoretical allegiance and his hypotheses about the structure and development of the psychotherapeutic milieu. The conformation of therapist-group and therapist-individual dyads shows a high thematic concordance across both settings, particularly with regard to separation anxiety, but also to a significant degree in relation to other verbally expressed affects. However similar the correlations do appear, there remain certain differences in the affective interactions between group or individual patient and the therapist that are due to developmental aspects of the therapeutic relationship in either setting.

One advantage of the construct quality of life is its apparently neutral status. Life can be of good or bad quality and can change for the better or the worse. Personal satisfaction may shift from the positive to the negative and vice versa. What could be considered weaknesses, the polemic nature of the word quality, and the inexhaustible meaning of life may, in fact, be assets.

The administration of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) of Stunkard & Messick to a sample of university students indicates that, whereas in women self-reported body mass index (BMI, weight/height2) is positively correlated with Restraint, in men it is positively correlated with Disinhibition and Hunger. Male and female subsamples did not differ in personality characteristics, age, or actual scores of eating behaviour dimensions. A significant positive correlation between Disinhibition and Hunger was confirmed. These results are discussed in terms of differential awareness of eating habits in the two sexes.

La teoría de la personalidad de Eysenck postula 3 dimensiones ortogonales de personalidad: extraversión (E), neuroticismo (N), psicoticismo (P). Formula predicciones conductuales y fisiológicas relacionándolas a la predisposición a ciertos trastornos. La base biológica de las dimensiones E y N se ha evidenciado en diferencias electrofisiológicas. La dimensión P, agregada posteriormente, ha sido más controvertida, postulándose que no es independiente de las dimensiones antes descritas. Con objeto de estudiar las dimensiones de Eysenck, en particular P, en relación a la reactividad sensorial y a procesos de codificación se registró potencial evocado visual (PEV) por flash a 3 diferentes intensidades y P300 auditiva en 20 voluntarios sanos (x 28,5; ds 9,4 años). Se midió amplitud peak to peak y latencia de los componentes III, IV-V-VI y VII de PEV y de P300 mediante programa cursor. Hubo correlación positiva entre dimensiones N y P (spearman, r=0,52), entre P y amplitud del PEV (r=0,58) a intensidad alta y negativa entre E y latencia de P300 (r=-0,58). Según nuestros hallazgos, la dimensión P no es independiente y demostró relación con la reactividad sensorial. La dimensión E se relacionó a la velocidad de codificación, apoyando las aseveraciones de Eysenck sobre memoria y aprendizaje. Eysenck's personality theory postulates 3 orthogonal dimensions of personality: extraversión (E), neuroticism (N) and psychoticism (P), predicting conductual and physiological predispositions to suffer mental illness. Biological bases of Eysenck's personality traits have been documented electrophysiologically. Psychoticism, the latest described dimension, is controverted, since there is some evidence of common factors with the other two. In order to assess the relation between Eysenck's dimensions and sensorial reactivity and information encoding processes we studied 20 healthy young subjects (x age 28.5 years) with flash visual cortical evoked potentials (VEP, 3 intensities, peak to peak amplitude of III, IV-V-VI, VII components), and auditory cognitive evoked potentials (odd ball paradigm, P300 latency). There was a positive correlation between N and P dimensions (Spearman, r=0.52), between N and VEP amplitude at high intensity (r=0.58) and a negative correlation between E and P300 latency (r=-0.58). In short we found that P is not an independent dimension, but is related to sensorial reactivity. E dimension was related to encoding processes supporting Eysenck's aseverations about memory and learning differences.

Most theories of personality and temperament include statements about spontaneous and elicited behavior. We may refer to them as activity and reactivity statements. Personality theories are abstracted systems of dis-positional traits that predict behavior on qualitative or quantitative bases. The type of prediction and the database vary in different theories. Some do not include statements regarding physiological indicators while others neglect social factors.

This paper provides a discussion of a psychophysiological approach to somatization based on the notions of attention and meaning. It is suggested that several clinical features may be described, explained, and modified with the aid of these concepts.

Sex and handedness influence upon EPQ-R scores of 27 right-handers (13 men, 14 women) and 25 left-handers (13 men, 12 women) was non-significant as tested through ANOVA.

Augmenting/reducing (A/R) of visual evoked potentials (VEP) has been repeatedly observed in central derivations, with some subjects increasing, and others decreasing, VEP amplitude with increasing intensity of stimulation. Central derivations also exhibit hemispheric lateralization regarding A/R. This paper explores central and occipital VEP in the same population of 16 healthy, right-handed male subjects, stimulated with binocular light flashes 10 usec in duration delivered by a Grass PS2 stimulator at a rate of 1/sec and at the intensities of 0.36, 0.72 and 1.44 joules at source. Amplitudes and latencies of components P1, N1 and P2 agreed with those reported in the literature. On the basis of amplitude/intensity slope functions of «peak to peak» amplitudes (P1N1 and NIP2) at Cz, 10 augmenters (slope greater than 0) and 6 reducers (slope smaller than 0) were found. Compared to central leads (C3 and C4) occipital ones (O1 and 02) did not exhibit significant interhemispheric differences. Vertex augmenters for N1P2 were occipital reducers and vice-versa. The different characteristics of A/R at occipital and central leads are interpreted in terms of stages of visual information processing in primary and association areas and functional significance of VEP components.

In this paper, a plea is made for establishing the dimension communication of emotional meaning as a descriptive axis in biopsychosocial diagnosis. Studies on alexithymia and somatic illness suggest that this dimension possesses not only diagnostic implications but also prognostic and therapeutic ones. A transactional viewpoint considering the definitions and expectations of patients, professionals and society would convert multiaxial into multidimensional diagnosis adapted to a given culture. Somatoform disorders are taken as illustration of the usefulness of the proposed dimension for further research and theorizing.

In spite of the wide discussion on alexithymia for the last years, empirical research aimed at its testing or validation has been remarkably scarce. Two basic approaches can be distinguished: psychometric investigations (for instance, using questionnaires) based upon previous operationalization of 'alexithymic' behavior and direct observation of behavioral patterns in different types of individuals. This second approach entails the relating of these behavioral features to alexithymia. As an example, our research results from these situations will be presented and discussed. The emphasis will be placed upon psychodynamic models. It is shown that the conditions under which the exploration is carried out are particularly important for the manifestation of 'alexithymic' characteristics in speech.

Verbal behaviour of a mixed patient population during psychotherapeutic interviews was analysed for affective content by means of two content analytic techniques, the Gottschalk-Gleser method and the 'anxiety topics dictionary' developed at the University of Ulm. Both methods share basic theoretical assumptions regarding affect definition and strive for pragmatic relevance in their meaning categories. They differ with respect to the analysis program they employ, the main difference being the coding unit and the extent to which they take into account contextual information. Correlational data presented shows a significant positive relationship between scores for shame and separation anxiety from both methods. A somewhat weaker correlation was found for guilt anxiety. These results suggest a formal similarity between these constructs as operationalized by both methods and call for further research on the comparability of meaning categories in studies of verbal behaviour.

The influence of response-dependent variables on Slow Cortical Potential (SCP) morphology was studied, in order to corroborate motor cortex contribution to SCP genesis. Electrical responses were recorded using non-polarizable electrodes from motor cortex of Saimiri sciureus during performance of a learned movement. The habit consisted of an appetitive instrumental upper limb response (CR), under two different force ranges which were signalled by colour lights (CS). SCP and force values were sampled and processed by means of a LINC computer. Data reported indicate that SCP recorded bilaterally from “specific motor cortex” (cortical representation of CR) are influenced by response-dependent variables: force exerted and duration of movement. This effect was specially clear over the hemisphere contralateral to the limb used. A possible relationship between response variables explored and SCP components is suggested.

In this paper, emotion is dealt with as a complex theoretical term, whose empirical referents derive from physiological, behavioral and subjective discourses (psychophysiological triad). It is argued that the meaning of emotion terms is not exhausted by any of these discourses (or 'texts'), but by the complementary consideration of the three. In order to proceed psychophysiologically, any given text becomes context for the others, thus allowing for consensual validation of hypothetical constructs. The position delineated in this paper seeks to go beyond the usual correlational approach and is discussed in relation to other similar attempts. The pivotal position of language and the implications of content category (or meaning) analysis in the study of affect and emotion are illustrated.

Correlations between Vando's RAS scores, EPQ-R variables and amplitude/intensity slopes of vertex auditory evoked potentials in a Chilean sample of 17 male and 17 female young normal volunteers are presented. RAS was positively associated with Extraversion and Psychoticism and negatively with Lie. Electrocortical measures (P 1 -N 1 and N 1 -P 2 slopes) behaved differently in males and females. No association with age was found for psychometric variables. Findings suggest a modulating influence of sex. The pattern of relationships between personality variables studied seems to be generalizable across cultures and suggests a compensatory relation between overt behaviour and central nervous system properties.

A principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation was applied to behavioral and physiological data from a group of 25 subjects comprising normals and depressives, in whom event-related slow brain potentials were recorded during performance of a fixed foreperiod, reaction time task. Five of the seven factors thus evinced were labelled ‘activation’, ‘inhibition’, ‘resilience’, ‘depressivity-neuroticism’ and ‘extraversion’, the remaining two factors being related to arousal in an unspecified manner. Although no clear-cut partitioning of variance into trait, state and task-related components was achieved, the contention is advanced that measurement of these factors and their patterning might contribute to psychophysiological diagnosis, provided they are substantiated by further research.

Anxiety and hostility scores (Gottschalk-Gleser method of verbal content analysis) were studied in a mixed patient sample comprising psychosomatic, functional, and neurotic patients under two speech-eliciting conditions: monological and dialogical. Hostility scores did not differ between conditions. Mutilation, diffuse and total anxiety scores were significantly higher in interview than in monologue. In this condition, separation anxiety was expressed more often. Some intercorrelations between variables were found in both conditions, mostly involving hostility, while others hold either for monological or interview data. Factor analysis disclosed different factor structures for the two conditions. An interaction between speech-eliciting condition and diagnostic subgroup is suggested. The implications of these findings for descriptive psychiatric research are discussed.

An explonatory study on a university student sample (N = 67) shows that scores on Restraint, Disinhibition and Hunger of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) of Stunkard and Messick (1985) are not associated with EPQ and MMPI personality dimensions. However, Restraint and EPQ Psychoticism load on the same Varimax-rotated factor and low predictability of TFEQ factor scores was found for some MMPI scales. Restraint and Disinhibition appeared significantly intercorrelated in the whole sample and in the sex-based subsamples. It is suggested that TFEQ scores are complementary to personality tests in the evaluation of eating behavior disorders.

This report shows that neuroticism within low to medium range (EPI) is related to right hemisphere negative slow potential amplitudes at central leads (C3 and C4). This finding is interpreted as suggesting a relatively higher right hemisphere activation during a ‘classical’ fixed foreperiod reaction time task. It is discussed in relation to studies linking the right hemisphere to emotion and emotionality.

Peak amplitude and area under the curve of average vertex slow potentials recorded during the foreperiod of a reaction time task were found to discriminate between high- and low-neuroticism subjects, defined according to the Eysenck Personality Inventory. High-neuroticism subjects developed smaller peak amplitude, greater area and longer reaction times, presenting a high extinction rate when the imperative stimulus was omitted. Differences between extraverts and introverts were found within the low-neuroticism group and for area values, extraverts exhibiting larger area. A significant interaction effect of extraversion and neuroticism on slow-potential parameters was evidenced. Results are interpreted in terms of heightened arousal and disrupted focused attention in high-neuroticism subjects. Although evolutionary indexes of slow potentials could differentiate between extraverts and introverts, further work using inhibition indicators is needed to further clarify the differences between them. The data reported also suggest that different aspects of overt behavior would be associated diversely with slow-potential parameters.

Starting off from the notion that the cerebral hemispheres differ in their processing mode, this paper reports on stimulus intensity modulation of auditory evoked potentials recorded from hemispheric leads (C3 and C4 referenced to ipsilateral mastoid processes) in a sample of 40 male Ss between 18 to 40 years of age. The experimental set up involved the recording of series of 100 trials to binaural clicks of 63.5, 74.6 and 85dB AL. Ss who were augmenters at the vertex showed positive Amplitude-Intensity function slopes over the left hemisphere; when Ss were Reducers at the vertex, the slopes were negative on the right hemisphere. These results are interpreted in terms of attention deployment or allocation to one or the other hemispheric processing mode. This might constitute a trait-like enduring subject characteristic whose relation to traditional psychometric variables needs further exploration. The modality especificity of this phenomenon is also discussed. El presente artículo describe la modulación de la intensidad de estimulación en potenciales evocados auditivos relacionada con las diferencias cerebrales hemisféricas en el procesamiento de la información en una muestra de 40Ss hombres de 18 a 40 anos de edad. El diseño experimental consistió en el registro de series de 100 respuestas electrocorticales a clicks binaurales de 63,5, 74,6 y 85dB AL. Los Ss "aumentadores" en el vertex presentaron pendientes positivas de las funciones de amplitud-intensidad en el hemisferio izquierdo; cuando los Ss fueron "reductores" en el vertex, las pendientes fueron negativas en el hemisferio derecho. Los resultados son interpretados en términos de factores atencionales que dirigen el procesamiento hacia uno u otro hemisferio cerebral. Esto podría constituir un rasgo característico y estable para cada sujeto, cuya relación con variables psicométricas clásicas requiere ser explorada. También se discute la especificidad del fenómeno en términos de modalidad sensorial.

Although it is generally accepted that psychology is the study of behavior, specifications of the meaning of behavior vary considerably. To record an action potential in a cell is different from observing an organism in its environment. General functional principles can be formulated in both cases and be predictive of further occurrences of the phenomena under study. Basic mechanisms discovered in simplified preparations or simple organisms could operate also at more complex levels of organization. This does not, however, make data relevant, interpretable, or applicable.

Absolute latency, interocular difference in latency, and waveform of visual evoked responses (VER) to checkerboard reversal stimuli recorded from the midline of the skull were studied in 104 multiple sclerosis patients, 25 to 50 years of age, classified according to visual symptomatology. Group 1 had strong evidence of past or present optic neuritis. Patients with blurring of vision, diplopia, and undefined visual complaints were assigned to group 2, while group 3 contained patients with no visual symptoms but suspected diagnosis of multiple sclerosis on other grounds. The three parameters explored showed consistent association with the degree of visual involvement, as assessed by clinical impression, but their discriminatory power was diverse. Absolute latency was significantly longer in group 1 patients compared with groups 2 and 3, but it did not discriminate between the last two, whereas interocular difference in latency proved to be sensitive to differences between symptomatic (diplopia, blurring) and asymptomatic groups (2 and 3). Waveshapes were grouped into three categories based upon degree of distortion of the major positive peak, and their relative distribution among the three patient groups was found to be associated with symptomatology. We suggest that, in the production of symptoms such as diplopia, a temporal disparity of afferent impulses might be involved in much the same way that spatial incongruities between both eyes lead to impaired function. In this regard, interocular difference in latency rather than absolute latency would be a more accurate predictor of symptom development. The analysis of VER waveshape suggests, in addition, the importance of inhomogeneous involvement of the visual pathways in the production of symptoms during the evolution of multiple sclerosis.

Group comparisons between psychosomatic and psychoneurotic patients using the Gottschalk-Gleser method of speech content analysis are presented. Two matched patient groups (N = 40 each) were discriminated on the basis of anxiety and hostility scores derived from verbal samples collected during psychoanalytically conducted first interviews. A concordance with clinical classification was reached in 79.75 per cent of cases, with psychosomatic patients exhibiting lower affect scores. These results could not be replicated in a comparison between 92 psychoneurotic and 56 psychosomatic patients based upon verbal samples produced in responses to a request to narrate a dramatic life episode (standard instruction). Percentage of correctly classified cases was 62.84 in the second study. Factor structures derived from affective variables showed more similarity between independent samples of psychoneurotic than between samples of psychosomatic patients across both exploration situations (interview and standard instruction). A major factor exhibiting high loadings from guilt anxiety and ambivalent hostility was evinced, being more important in psychoneurotics. These results are discussed against the background of the alexithymia notion. Methodological considerations pertaining to diagnostic applications of the Gottschalk-Gleser content analysis are presented.

A psychophysiological approach to alexithymia involves the search for reliable neural correlates of cognitive and symbolic processes rendering meaningful indicators that can be entered as elements into the diagnostic process, framed within a theory, and tested against the clinical experience. Relevant work on event-related slow brain potentials is reviewed, and some recent data bearing on a psychophysiological differentiation between psychosomatic and psychoneurotic patients are presented and discussed within the framework of a modified concept of activation. In outlining certain research strategies and goals it is contended that they may provide an experimental data base complementing and expanding psychodynamically derived formulations.