Life crisis and the body within

The authors take into account body involvement during the existential criti cal periods. The concept of body involvement considers both the biological (organic) involvement of the body, i.e, all the 'psychosomatic' (in a wider sense) dimensions, and the involvement of the mental representation of one 's body. This involvement refers to some clinical conditions as 'abnormal s omatic styles of existence', hypochondriasis and dysmorphophobia (all group ing in the DSM-IV 'somatoform disorders') and the anorexic states. From a s tructural psychogenetic point of view, this firm involvement of the body (n aturally we are referring to the 'experienced body') is stressed in fight o f its importance in self identity construction and maintenance, especially when, as in some existential critical periods, identity physiologically fac es significant modifications and hazardous movements. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.