orm disorders are caused by unresolved sexual impulses that produce intense anxiety that is converted into physical symptoms. Because of this conversion the original anxiety produced is now reduced, this process is termed primary gain, but if the person is allowed to escape or avoid stressful life situations.Similar to the psychoanalysts’ perspective of secondary gain, behaviorists feel that if a person is allowed to escape or avoid the physical symptoms are reinforced.Biological theorists, have very little to say since there seems to be no physical cause of the symptoms, except that there may be some genetic predisposition to Somatoform disorders.Dissociative DisordersPsychoanalysts believe that dissociative symptoms are caused by massive reliance on repression to ward off unacceptable impulses, particularly those of a sexual nature. The person then relocates the guilt produced into a second identity that is in the unconscious mind. Behaviorists feel that dissociative symptoms may be caused by avoidance of highly stressful events, particularly those dealing with childhood abuse.There is no evidence that dissociative disorders are linked to genetic or biological disorders.Mood DisordersPsychoanalysts feel that because of a fixation at an oral stage of psychosexual development, individuals tend to develop ambivalent feelings toward their mothers. These feelings are then transferred to other loved ones. Because of the feelings the person cannot be successfully social to the loved one and then regresses back to an oral level, where the person takes the love-hate relationship, and places it on their self.Also, overdependency in instant gratification of basic needs and self esteem cause a person to become so ambivalent that they may commit suicide which is the ultimate form of aggression turned on the person.Behaviorists theorize that the loss or separation of a loved one means a loss of positive reinforcement. An example would b...
