Pain: Oxford Very Short Introductions 012

Is pain a physical sensation, an emotion, a cultural construct, or a potential form of empathy?

What is "pain"? We often assume everyone knows the answer to this question. The existence of pain seems intuitively understood, but in reality (especially for the medical community), pain is a mysterious and frustrating enigma.

The nature of pain is unpredictable, and no standard for measurement or treatment seems universally applicable to everyone. Furthermore, some people complain of pain even when they haven't sustained an injury. Could expressions like emotional wounds or a broken heart indirectly help us gain a deeper understanding of how pain works and its meaning?

No one can self-evidently reduce the essence of pain, because pain always has its context.

This book will first introduce the language of pain, the history of pain, and modern medical research on pain. How should we view pain? What is the basis for offering sympathy or empathy to others' pain? Is it truly possible for us to understand another person's pain?

The expression of pain is as important as the experience of pain and the scientific discussion of developing pain sensitivity. We not only understand pain from a physiological perspective, but we should also consider how we understand pain, how we understand the pain of others, and thus how we view pain, suffering, grief, and sorrow.