The human condition : psychology and illness

Sammanfattning: The theme of this thesis is the importance of psychosocial factors in the development of psychosomatic illness and cancer. Critics have maintained that a strictly natural scientific view of the individual and his suffering is too restricted for an understanding of often reported psychosocial elements in the pathological picture. Using concepts from Martin Heidegger's Dasein analytics and Medard Boss' Daseinanalytical method a presentation is given in the first part of the thesis of the qualities required for a more holistic approach to man. Accordingly every human characteristic can be seen as a meaningful expression of the person's existence. The psychosomatic symptom can thus also be seen such an expression. The significance of infancy and the first years of childhood is developed in some detail, as persistent behaviour patterns are then established. Such patterns of behaviour are analyzed in relation to a number of psychosomatic conditions in the light of medical and psychological research which has focused on psychosocial factors. In addition, two separate chapters deal with the cancer process. On the basis of the perspective presented the final part of the thesis discusses some aspects of treatment of psychosomatic conditions. The main thread of the research material is the problem of relationships. A certain personality structure in connection with interpersonal conflicts and an inability to express feelings adequately disposes an individual to meet an apparently insoluble existenziell situation in an inauthentic way, for instance by way of a psychosomatic symptom.