Psychogenesis and Psychotherapy of Bodily Symptoms*

This book is a remarkable mixture of philosophy, psychology and somatic pathology written in three parts. Part One treats of the development, formation and understanding of the body—mind problem in medicine which subject is introduced by Professor Schwarz who discusses medical philosophy, physical conformations, organismal biology and medicine as an independent science. Next Dr. Paul Schilder offers an extensive survey of the body—mind problem from the standpoint of philosophy and natural science psychology including the theories of psychic determination, psychic energies, reciprocal actions, entelology in organisms, the action of the psyche upon the body, and upon the individual organs, the nature of “free will,” feeling and affect.

In connection with affect activity he comments at length upon affect fixation and the neurotic pattern, the neurosis as an impulsive set and the neurosis as a conditioned reflex: He classifies the affect fixation in the form of the following table, and concludes with general comments on the influence of the psyche on symptoms and diseases particularly in the domain of neurology and psychiatry.

Reversible (on normal organ affect action)

Irreversible on pathologic organ

1. Acute affect activity

2. Fixated affect activity

   (Forms of affect fixation)

3. 1. Actual neuroses