This volume contains contributions presented at the Fourth Internatio nal Workshop on Psychosocial Stress and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) held in Hoehenried near Munich in July, 1979. The workshop was organized in order to continue and enlarge upon recent discussions concerning empirical evidence and convergence in the field of stress and CHD. Proceedings of the three previous workshops were published in German by Springer-Verlag. The main topic of the 1978 conference was the present state of research in the field of type A behavior and CHD. In addition and in a certain contrast, this present volume concentrates on sociological aspects of stress experience and the development of CHD, especially myocardial infarction. It is thought that a heuristic research device should take into account both situational influences and individual predispositions on a somatic and psychological level. The scope of this book is limited by the research areas represented by the invited participants, and the editors do not claim to give a representative overview, although they include several prominent authorities among the contributors. The final chapter gives a short critical evaluation of the present state of a difficult but promising area of interdisciplinary medical research. For technical reasons discussions held at the workshop could not be included in this volume.

1. Risk Situations: Work Stressors, Life Events, and Loss of Social Support

Life Events, Job Stress, and Coronary Heart Disease
Work Load and Coronary Heart Disease
Psychosocial Risk Constellations and First Myocardial Infarction
Measurement and Impact of Organizational Stress
Psychosocial Stress and CHD when Controlling for Traditional Risk Factors
An Approach by Theory of Action to Occupational Stress
2. Risk Disposition: The Coronary-Prone Behavior Pattern
Type A Behavior: Mechanisms Linking Behavioral and Pathophysiologic Processes
Type A, Stress, and Autonomic Reactivity: Considerations for a Study of These Factors in the Work Place
Pattern A, Psychologic Correlates and Therapeutic Implications
The Syndrome of Vital Exhaustion and Depression and Its Relationship to Coronary Heart Disease
Psychosocial Stressors in Patients with Premature Myocardial Infarction
Different Patterns of Stress in Patients with Internal Diseases
3. Conclusions
Myocardial Infarction and Psychosocial Risks: Concluding Remarks.