Psychology

There are many scientific ideas associated with pain and its origin.  Injury is the most common predictor of pain, but it has been discussed that pain can linger long after the physical injury is healed.  Pain can indicate a psychological or mental injury and assert its existence through pain in a vulnerable area.  While pain is linked to a physical injury, the description of the pain changes as the injury heals.  Pain is a sensation warning the individual that something is wrong.  Since pain is invisible, doctors must rely on the patient to describe the pain, but some doctors do not believe their patients because they physically do not appear to be in pain.  It was disturbing to learn that doctors question their patients honesty due to the rise in prescription drug crimes.  This leaves the patients who are truly in pain without relief due to a doctors suspicions or the doctors own paranoia.
   
Pain is a physical response to an injury.  The Behavioral Theory of abnormal psychology describes classic conditioning and modeling as reasons to how an individual learns to process certain information.  As a child, one learns that when there is a boo-boo, mommy or daddy will offer a band-aid, an analgesic for pain, or support through hugs and kisses to make it all better.  As adults, the pain may truly have a physical origin, but maybe the individual is looking for something more than an ace bandage and a pain pill.  Maybe the adult is searching for someone who will mimic the caring and nurturing once received as a child.
   
A friend just recently went through advanced shoulder joint replacement surgery.  The recovery period has been quite extensive.  Pain medication was prescribed post-surgery, but 3 months later, the friend still claims to need it for pain.  It has been observed that the friend will not take the medicine if friends are around to keep his mind off of his shoulder.  The pain now appears to be psychological.