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High Blood Pressure as a Psychosomatic Disorder: A Selective Review
Author(s) -
COCHRANE RAYMOND
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
british journal of social and clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.479
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 2044-8260
pISSN - 0007-1293
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8260.1971.tb00713.x
Subject(s) - personality , blood pressure , psychology , environmental stress , inclusion (mineral) , clinical psychology , stress (linguistics) , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , environmental protection , environmental science , linguistics , philosophy
A selective review of medical, psychological and sociological studies of high blood pressure is made, the criterion for inclusion being that hypertension is approached as a psychosomatic disorder. The enormous amount of literature produced to date yields general support to the idea of a link between perceived stress in the environment, a personality overreactive to stress and high blood pressure. The specific mechanisms involved have not as yet been clearly identified. The literature is reviewed in the areas of personality and hypertension, experimental elevation of blood pressure, environmental factors in hypertension and explanations of high blood pressure.