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Biological Barriers in Behavioral Medicine pp 221–255Cite as

Asthma

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Part of the book series: The Plenum Series in Behavioral Psychophysiology ((SSBP))

Abstract

No physical disorder is more misunderstood by behavioral scientists than is asthma. Many seem to believe it is a psychological affliction that, like a water faucet, can be turned on and off at will by the patient. This myth survives in the face of reality. Others believe asthma can be cured by psychotherapy. This myth also persists despite a total absence of supporting evidence. Asthma is a complex respiratory condition; not only can a multitude of stimuli precipitate attacks, but an endless number of events, many of which have yet to be delineated, influence the course both of individual attacks and of asthma per se. This makes predicting the future direction of a given patient’s asthma about as precise as forecasting his behavior. The eloquent models that once promised to permit us to formulate and predict behavior within a simple set of principles have disintegrated in the past two decades. William Estes was recently quoted as saying that what once was regarded with “high optimism” has since been replaced by “strong disillusionment” (Fox, 1983).

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  1. Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 47501, USA

    Thomas L. Creer

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  1. Thomas L. Creer
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  1. Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

    Wolfgang Linden

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© 1988 Plenum Press, New York

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Creer, T.L. (1988). Asthma. In: Linden, W. (eds) Biological Barriers in Behavioral Medicine. The Plenum Series in Behavioral Psychophysiology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5374-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-5374-4_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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