Disappointment - An affective pattern and its clinical significance

The affective pattern of disappointment, which is hardly ever mentioned in psychology of emotions, plays an important role in psychotherapy. Based on a survey of 220 out-patients from a psychosomatic clinic this article first describes the emotional and interactional aspects of the process of being disappointed and its frequency, before breaking down the patient's subjective experience in a qualitative evaluation. disappointments regarding expectations of important others and of oneself, especially in the case when achievement efforts or love relationships fail, or specific burdening family experiences are of special significance. Disappointment and coping with it are interpreted psychodynamically as a process. The clinical significance of this is shown with the psychodynamics of somatisation disorders. Remarks on coping psychotherapeutically with the topic of disappointment conclude the article.