A Preverbal Perspective on Conversion Disorder

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn contrast to the vast majority of writings on hysteria that place its genesis within the Oedipal period, this article conceptualizes a preverbal, pre-Oedipal origin for the primary manifestation of hysteria—conversion disorder. Findings from infant observation research are used to support a conceptualization that includes connections to temperament, attachment strategies, Wilma Bucci’s multiple code theory, and Leslie Farber’s perspectives on will and willfulness. This article suggests an etiology that is dependent on a complexity of factors operating interactively and within the context of a relational process.