ABSTRACT
Introduction The biologic basis of psychoanalytic theory is unmistakable. Hence it is not surprising that psychoanalysis has generated so many fruitful ideas concern ing psychosomatic interrelationships, particularly in respect to somatic symptom formation. Yet the task of testing some of these ideas has at times presented almost insuperable difficulties. In large part these difficul ties have been technical, for all too often it has not been possible to devise suitable methods to demonstrate the postulated relationships between psy chological and somatic processes. As a result the growth and development of theory has all too often outstripped the verifiable facts in its support.
