Psychosomatic medicine in the seventies: an overview.

The author discusses the theoretical, investigative, clinical, and teaching aspects of psychosomatic medicine in the seventies. Major research and clinical developments are discussed in relation to key theoretical postulates and concepts. The rapidly expanding field of psychosomatic medicine is far more divant than ever before. Its hallmarks include a multifactorial approach to the study of health and disease, formulation of testable hypotheses and their careful validation, concern with the clinical applicability of research, and development of integrative theories. Current advances in the field have far-reaching inplications for medicine, psychiatry, and the behavioral sciences.