This research will investigate the question of whether it is better to pay attention to potentially unpleasant physical sensations or to try to distract from them. Two basic questions will be investigated: (1) what are the possible costs of avoidant strategies? and (2) what are the benefits of monitoring strategies? This study has both theoretical and practical importance. Research on somatic interpretation has implications for both basic psychological processes such as attention, selfregulation and bio-psychological interactions, and for clinical problems of medical care-seeking, compliance, and rehabilitation.
