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feeling the illness symptoms of others

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  • 06-09-2009 4:44pm
    #1
    Yorky
    Registered Users Posts: 1,485 ✭✭✭


    Does anyone know what the term is when, say, a horse is ill and the rider seems to be suffering the same symptoms? Or when a child is ill and the parents feel the symptoms?


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    #2
    Shield
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators, Help & Feedback Category Moderators Posts: 9,699 CMod ✭✭✭✭Shield


    Why did you post this in Philosophy? I could be wrong, but you might get better answers in either Psychology or Biology & Medicine.


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    #3
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,229 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    Yorky wrote: »
    Does anyone know what the term is when, say, a horse is ill and the rider seems to be suffering the same symptoms? Or when a child is ill and the parents feel the symptoms?
    Vicarious traumatization (aka secondary traumatization)? There is a debate as to whether this is a disorder or merely a temporary effect from exposure to primary trauma experienced by others that you are close to, or attempt to help professionally. Not to be confused with empathy or assuming the emic perspective, as the horse rider or parent in your example not only may feel sympathy, but may also exhibit (secondary) trauma, and in some cases vicarious psychosomatic disorder.


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