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The authors present an interesting case report and an extensive survey of the literature concerning the old belief in a relationship between some physical symptoms and emotions. Davis and Offenkrantz hypothesize a reciprocal relationship between affective expression and physiological discharge. Other studies presented include those of Knapp who has repeatedly observed active and aggressive expression being replaced by helplessness and longing in episodes of asthma. Studied with direct bearing on the reciprocal hypothesis of this paper are those which demonstrate: 1) the presence of inhibition of affect in patients with psychosomatic conditions; 2) indirect support for the hypothesized reciprocal relationship; 3) that disinhibition of affect in a psychosomatic patient, especially an asthmatic, can occur in therapy and can be beneficial.
The case report stresses the psychotherapeutic exchange. Ratings were prepared to attempt to determine correlations between affective clinical reactions and physical clinical reactions during the course of therapy. To a large extent, the reciprocal relationship is demonstrated, although it is clear that the physical symptoms and affective reactions are not mutually exclusive. From a pragmatic point of view, the implications for psychotherapy are considerable. From the theoretical viewpoint, the authors view the asthmatic symptom and the affective experience as two alternative processes rather than as two different forms of energy discharge, interchangeable by conversion using some constant still to be determined.