Symptom formation.

The issue of symptom formation in patients is discussed in terms of evolution relating to cultures and changes in disease patterns. Determinants of symptoms depend upon a host of factors including the individual's developmental history and personality, the setting in which illness develops, the contemporary social status of the individual, the cognitive and affective state, and the resources based on learning that the individual has in coping and adapting to stressful situations threatening the stability of the organism.