A defense mechanism, operating unconsciously, by which intrapsychic conflicts that would otherwise give rise to anxiety are instead given symbolic external expression. The repressed ideas or impulses, and the psychological defenses against them, are converted into a variety of somatic symptoms such as paralysis, pain, or loss of sensory function.
The process of changing one thing into another.
Retaining health insurance when changing employers without having to be reevaluated as to insurability. An employee retiring or otherwise ineligible to remain in a group usually converts to an individual health insurance policy. The privilege to convert in this manner is guaranteed in many circumstances by the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA).
Unconscious defense mechanism by which emotional conflicts are repressed and turned into physical symptoms having no organic basis (e.g., pain, numbness).
Neurological, sensory, or motor deficits that occur without physical basis; there may be sudden blindness, deafness, paralysis, or inability to speak.
The expression of conflict as physical symptoms. Psychiatrists believe that the repressed instinctual drive is manifested as motor or sensory loss, such as paralysis, rather than as speech or action. This is thought to be one of the ways in which hysteria is produced.
The change from one condition to another. For example, a patient with an arrhythmia may convert from atrial fibrillation to sinus rhythm, or a patient with no evidence of tuberculosis may convert to a positive purified protein derivative status.
In midwifery, the adjustment of the unborn baby’s position to facilitate a smoother delivery process.
In psychiatry, there is a mental defense mechanism where unconscious emotional conflicts are converted into physical disabilities. The affected part typically symbolizes the nature of the underlying conflict. For instance, consider an unhappily married woman who desires a child, but her husband refuses. She may exhibit symptoms related to her vagina, although a medical examination reveals the organ is healthy and normal. In this case, her emotional distress has become focused on this specific area. When the root cause of her unhappiness is resolved, the symptoms vanish without requiring any medical intervention for that particular body part.