a psychogenic inhibition in which the individual experiences distress and increasing aversion to work, which may be expressed as poor work performance or reactive symptoms of illness (e.g., fatigue, vertigo) that increase in severity as the individual continues to work. In some cases, there is a specific inhibition that interferes with the ability to work, often affecting an essential function necessary for that work, such as writer’s cramp, seamstress’s cramp, or carpal tunnel syndrome. These inhibitions were originally believed to be conversion symptoms reflecting inner conflicts but have increasingly been found to have a medical explanation. Also called occupational inhibition.