A phenomenological model for hadron diffractive dissociation is developed starting from the generalized optical theorem. The behavior of the Pomeron-hadron cross section is described by using a set of assumptions based on the current phenomenology of elastic processes and total cross section, which is compatible with the idea of Pomeron exchange as the dominant process at high energy. The obtained model is applied to describe experimental data of diffractive dissociation for the processes pp, (p) over bar p, pi(+)p, and K(+/-)p. An extension of the model for diffractive dissociation of nuclei in proton-nucleus interactions is also presented.531161276135