Conversion Reaction (Noun)
Meaning
A mental disorder characterized by the conversion of mental conflict into somatic forms (into paralysis or anesthesia having no apparent cause).
Classification
Nouns denoting natural processes.
Examples
- The patient's symptoms of paralysis were later diagnosed as a conversion reaction, stemming from unresolved emotional trauma.
- Her doctor suspected that her sudden loss of voice was a conversion reaction, rather than a physical ailment.
- Conversion reaction was the diagnosis given to the young man who suddenly developed numbness in his legs after a family argument.
- The therapist believed that the woman's paralysis was a classic example of a conversion reaction, caused by repressed memories of childhood abuse.
- The patient's sudden blindness was later revealed to be a conversion reaction, a physical manifestation of her deep-seated anxiety and fear.