Psychosomatic Approach to Job’s Body and Mind: Based on Somatic Symptom Disorder

Abstract

This essay will indicate how Job’s body parts and sensibility denote his cognitive dissonance and mental turmoil and will show that irrelevant to the physical suffering of the Adversary (2:7); Job is experiencing a sort of “somatic symptom disorder” which means that persons focus on physical symptoms such as fatigue, fragility, and pain according to their particular cognitive schematic in terms of property loss, extreme anxiety, and the absence of God that lead them to chief anguish and agony in their daily lives. The interrelationship between body and mind of Job plays a central role in resisting the retribution principle of Job’s friends and in doubting the justice of God.