A Comparison of Psychological Characteristics and Physiological Reactivity in Ulcer and Rheumatoid Arthritis Groups

Abstract

This study was concerned with testing the hypothesis that patients with body exterior versus body interior psychosomatic symptoms would differ in their tendencies to channel excitation to the body exterior as contrasted to the body interior. The GSR (galvanic skin response) and heart rate were used to measure exterior and interior reactivity, respectively. A group of rheumatoid arthritics (exterior symptom site) and a group of patients with duodenal ulcers (interior site) were compared in terms of GSR and heart rate under conditions of stress and rest. The results in general were supportive of the hypothesis.