The Psychology of Pain

Last updated: Mon, Nov 18, 2024

"Psychology" is a word with many overlapping meanings. It may refer to the various psychological disciplines that are found at a large university, it may refer to the clinical practice of psychology, or it may refer to any understanding of human experience or behavior. Here I use it to mean "all of the understanding and perception of pain and about pain that are significant in the lives of pain sufferers."

Thus, the psychology of pain among pain sufferers deals with their understandings and perceptions of their own pains, as well as their understandings and perceptions of those who are important in their lives--their families, friends, work associates, care providers, etc. The psychology of pain sufferers has been the subject of a great amount of writing and research amongst psychological professionals, and often the implicit question has been, "What is it about pain sufferers that makes them pain sufferers?" This section will discuss these writings and research.

What about the psychology of medical care providers? The psychology of psychological researchers and clinical psychologists? Certainly how they understand pain must affect their professional behavior? This has received relatively very little attention, yet it is an essential element of understanding the lives that pain sufferers lead when under treatment or evalution. As just one example, can you compare and contrast the "psychologies" of doctors who treat pain with those who chose not to? What about doctors who treat pain sufferers in comparison with doctors who evaluate them while being paid by insurance providers? If pain understanding were truly "scientific," we could reasonably expect professional training to dominate their understandings, but is that the case with pain? My answer is, "Probably not."

What about the pain-related psychology of family, friends, work associates, non-medical care providers, civil servants? Surely they are relevant to the pain experiences of pain sufferers? Although pain is experienced privately, many consequences of pain are social.

Within this section...

How We Understand Pain (Last updated: Mon, Nov 18, 2024)

The Psychological Perspective On Pain (Last updated: Mon, Feb 24, 2025)

Pain, Behavior, and Psychology (Last updated: Fri, Dec 20, 2024)

Behaviorist Theories of Pain and a Standard Model (Last updated: Wed, Feb 26, 2025)

The Neuromatrix Model of Pain (Last updated: Fri, Feb 7, 2025)

The Psychology of Understanding Pain Psychologically (Last updated: Sun, Nov 10, 2024)

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A Rational Model of Emotion and Pain (Last updated: Fri, Mar 21, 2025)