Pain is an Emotion

[emad]

Hi,

Do you think pain is an emotion ?

Emad

[Luke Rickards]

Check this paper (http://www.somasimple.com/forums/showthread.php?p=25099#post25099) out Emad.

Luke

[JaneS]

Hi Emad,

An interesting suggestion which got me thinking in terms of language definition as well as pain mechanisms, according to current definitions and research.
Just to confirm the current IASP definition of pain as;
'an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience caused by tissue damage, threatened tissue damage or described in such terms'.

I have not had time to read the full article link supplied by Luke. However, the intro (?abstract) sounded pretty reasonable. Maybe not complete but without notes beside me, I won't comment further on that. It is certainly correct that, once the impulse reaches the cortical level, both the sensorimotor cortex and cingulate gyrus (limbic system) receive input.

Emotion, according to the concise Oxford Dictionary, is described as an agitation of mind or excited mental state. I do not know the precise psych definition. Emotions such as depression, frustration, anxiety etc can attributed to pain. Also emotional activity can heighten percpetion of pain at spinal and supraspinal levels of CNS.

I might be a bit too pedantic here. However, I do not agree with labelling of pain as an emotion.

Jane

[EricM]

A homeostatic emotion Jane, not just an emotion. There was at least one discussion on this topic from way back; link (http://www.somasimple.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1327&highlight=homeostatic+emotion)

eric

[emad]

Thanks Luk,

Jane , i think it is a closed cycle pain leads to anexity and anexity leads to pain via cortical and CNS changes .

Still i do not know certain defination for emotion !



Cheers
Emad

[emad]

I sent a private message to Bernard to change the thread title into :

Is pain an Emotion ?

An article related attached below is called Pain and Emotion .
1340

Cheers
Emad

[vajranata]

I seem to be unable to access Luke's posted paper. It says I do not have permission. Is there a setting I need to change or am I just too low on the totem pole?
-Chris

[Diane]

Chris, you're almost there. The reserved esction where the juicy articles are, is set aside for participants, not lurkers. So you need to post.. I think the limit is set at 10 posts, then you can join the reading room.

[vajranata]

Thank you Diane. I really appreciate this forum. It's a privilege to follow and participate in these discussions. There's certainly no better way to see to one's own professional development than subjecting yourself to the scrutiny of respected peers. It's elevating.
-Chris

[Diane]

You should be eligible with that last post. Not just because it was an appreciative post, but because it was your tenth! :D

[emad]

I agree with homeostatic meaning .

Chris , i am sure Diane will give me the green light :angel: to provide you with the articles you need temporarley until you reach your 10 th post . I can send you the article to your email to continue your thinking process.

Cheers
Emad

[nari]

Jane,

If you think of hunger as a need state that requires some consummatory action to resolve it, and restore a state of homeostasis that is best for the animal's evolutionary fitness and survival......
and then think of anger, anxiety, fear, unhappiness as need states; pain seems to fit in well with that concept. Hence the inclusion of pain perception with our 'emotions' which are need states.

The program Meerkat Manor on TV shows these little guys in almost constant need states for all waking hours. It's an interesting look at emotions.

Nari

[Diane]

Emad, you do not need any permission from anyone to send articles around privately, especially from me. :)

[Jon Newman]

Hi Jane,

Being a bit inclined toward pedantism myself (not that I'm good at it), is your concern (from)

I might be a bit too pedantic here. However, I do not agree with labelling of pain as an emotion.

that pain is devoid of emotion or that pain is not an emotion only? Let me use an example to get at what I'm asking because I don't always make myself very clear. Very often pain and tissue damage are found in tandem. I don't agree that they are the same thing and that (mistakenly) speaking about them as being the same thing leads to quite a bit of misunderstanding.

I'm trying to get from your current thoughts on the topic whether you feel that pain and emotion simply occur in tandem, like pain and tissue damage, or whether pain does have an emotional valence but there is more too it than just that. If it is the latter, I'm curious about what types of emotions are only emotions and devoid of sensory qualities (if such a thing exists) and conversely what types of sensations are sensations without an emotive valence (if such a thing exists). Or perhaps there is another option beyond the "either this or that" options I just offered.

Thanks. Pedants of the world unite.

[vajranata]

Pain certainly doesn't equate with the common usage of "emotion" as one of the many variations of desire, confusion, or aversion. Although, Im sure that any time there is pain, there is usually (not always) related emotion. In the article Luke posted (thanks emad, i was able to open it), they consider emotion in terms of a homeostatic action motivator. In this sense, clearly pain fits.
-Chris

[emad]

Nari wrote

hunger as a need state tha


think of anger, anxiety, fear, unhappiness as need states;


I know that the Concept of Need state is frequently used here on SS by many ,What is the meaning of that ?
When did it evolve ?
Is there scientific evidence supports its using ?

Emad

[Diane]

It is a concept formulated by the late Patrick Wall. Read all about it in Pain: The Science of Suffering.

[JaneS]

Hi Jon,

Firstly, I'll say that I was not aware of 'homeostatic emotion'. I could not access the article link, so fell back on the Concise Oxford Dictionary! Now that I look back on it, I realise the definition there is not really all that specific. ('Agitation of mind, feeling; excited mental state').

I would agree with your statement that 'pain does have an emotional valence but there is more to it than just that'. Therefore emotion is present in the perception of pain. To what extent is greatly variable, depending on factors including intensity, duration, predictability, impact on lifestyle and many many others!

Emotions devoid of sensory qualities; I have never turned it around like that before. Intense anxiety may have sensory effects, such as the perception of heart palpitations. If someone says something to anger you, I suppose the auditory perception could be seen as a sensory input.

However, what if you are alone and trying to devise solutions to a problem - even just musing over past events or future possibilities? Focusing on these could lead to anger, frustration, spontaneous laughter or simple contentment. In this situation, I would consider the emotions to be free of actual sensory quality. (Unless one of these thoughts or memories pertained to a sensory experience/threat).

YOu mention sensations - can they be devoid of an emotional component? I am aware of the feeling of my seat on my backside. I assure you that there is absolutely no emotional component to that - good or bad. Neither am I being threatened/upset nor am I thrilled to bits. That may be a bit simplistic. Of course sensations can also be very complex and then almost certainly would have an emotional component.

Nari, I can certainly agree with your classification of hunger, anger, fear as need states which require action homeostasis. What about 'positive' emotions, such as contentment, thrill or looking forward to something. These are emotions but, unless they interfere with ability to exist, I cannot regard them as a need state. Even with anger and fear, surely it is the degree to which they affect the individual which determines whether remediation is required. Anger at something or someone may be replaced with an attitude of acceptance - 'cest la vie'.

I am interested in the opinions regarding homeostasis, especially as I could not get hold of the article myself. However, at the moment I still maintain that emotion is part of the 'experience' of pain but that pain is not, in itself, an emotion.

Are there any psychologists on this site who could give a definition of emotion from that field?

Jane

[emad]

Jane ,

We are going to be Psychologists ,Are there other psychological approachs we do not know;) .We need to know Schizos treatment as well :) !!

Cheers
Emad

[Luke Rickards]

Jane,

Follow this link (http://www.somasimple.com/forums/showthread.php?t=988) for access.