Phenomenology of Embodied Personhood and the Challenges of Naturalism in Pain Research

Saulius Geniusas

doi:10.1515/yewph-2017-0008

Phenomenology of Embodied Personhood and the Challenges of Naturalism in Pain Research

Yearbook for Eastern and Western Philosophy ◽

10.1515/yewph-2017-0008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Saulius Geniusas

Keyword(s):

Genetic Phenomenology ◽

Pain Experience ◽

Pain Research ◽

Basic Understanding ◽

Neurological Processes

AbstractHere I distinguish three fundamental ways in which the naturalistically oriented science of pain has critically engaged phenomenology. The science of pain has either denied any role phenomenology could play in scientific pain research, or it has aimed to correlate phenomenological findings with neurological processes, or it has pursued a genuine dialogue with phenomenology, yet only insofar as phenomenology is conceived in line with the principles of static methodology. I argue that genetic phenomenology of embodied personhood offers a fourth and most promising way to pursue a dialogue between phenomenology and the science of pain. By drawing a distinction between the naturalistic and the personalistic attitudes, genetic phenomenology invites one to reinterpret the neurological conceptions of pain as modifications derived from a more basic understanding of pain experience.

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Why can't a woman be more like a man?

Behavioral and Brain Sciences ◽

10.1017/s0140525x97531499 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 467-468 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Anita M. Unruh

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Animal Models ◽

Physiological Mechanisms ◽

Pain Experience ◽

Pain Research

berkley's line of reasoning about sex and pain experience suggests a completely different perspective on sex differences in human experimental, clinical, and epidemiological pain research. Although physiological mechanisms may place women at greater risk for pain, women may have found ways to dampen the effect of these mechanisms. Nevertheless, it is a challenge to extrapolate physiological mechanisms in human phenomena from outcomes observed in animal models.

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On Pain, Its stratification, and Its Alleged Indefinability / Über den Schmerz, seine Schichtung und seine vermeintliche Undefinierbarkeit

Gestalt Theory ◽

10.1515/gth-2017-0023 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 39 (2-3) ◽

pp. 331-348 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Saulius Geniusas

Keyword(s):

Subject Matter ◽

Phenomenological Approach ◽

Natural Sciences ◽

Phenomenological Method ◽

Pain Experience ◽

Pain Research ◽

Cognitive Reflection ◽

Phenomenological Account ◽

Different Levels ◽

Experience Pain

SummaryThis paper develops a phenomenological approach to the concept of pain, which highlights the main presuppositions that underlie pain research undertaken both in the natural and in the sociohistorical sciences. My argument is composed of four steps: (1) only if pain is a stratified experience can it become a legitimate theme in both natural and sociohistorical sciences; (2) the phenomenological method is supremely well suited to disclose the different strata of pain experience; (3) the phenomenological account offered here identifies three fundamental levels that make up the texture of pain experience: pain can be conceived as a prereflective experience, as an object of affective reflection, or as an object of cognitive reflection; and (4) such a stratified account clarifies how pain can be a subject matter in the natural and sociohistorical sciences. Arguably, the natural and sociohistorical sciences address pain at different levels of its manifestation. While the natural sciences address pain as an object of cognitive reflection, sociohistorical sciences first and foremost deal with pain as a prereflective experience and as an object of affective reflection.

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Current States of Opinion and Future Directions on the Epidemiology of Sex Differences in Human Pain

Pain Research and Management ◽

10.1155/2011/280531 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 317-319 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Jacob M Vigil

Keyword(s):

Social Psychology ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Phenotypic Expression ◽

Sensory Systems ◽

Situational Factors ◽

Future Directions ◽

Pain Experience ◽

Situational Influences ◽

Pain Behaviors ◽

Pain Research

One of the most commonly neglected findings in the human pain literature is the observation of sex differences in the mechanisms that support the phenotypic expression of pain. The present commentary describes an assessment of the prevalence of observed sex differences in various pain processes, and of how expert pain researchers interpret the epidemiology and, hence, the proximate and ultimate causes of such differences. Forty-two pain investigators completed an anonymous survey on the epidemiology of sex differences in the human pain experience. Investigator responses indicated that sex differences are pervasive across various areas of pain research, that sex differences are particularly pronounced in the area of situational influences on pain behaviors, and that contemporary pain researchers largely disagree on the epidemiology of, and hence, proximate and ultimate causes of the differences. The relevance of social situational factors on sex differences in pain behaviours is discussed in the context of evolutionary, developmental, social psychology and pain sensory systems that may function, in part, for regulating interpersonal intimacy.

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Bridging the Translational Divide in Pain Research: Biological, Psychological and Social Considerations

Frontiers in Pharmacology ◽

10.3389/fphar.2021.603186 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Chulmin Cho ◽

Harashdeep K. Deol ◽

Loren J. Martin

Keyword(s):

Animal Models ◽

Biopsychosocial Model ◽

Social Influences ◽

Science Research ◽

Pain Modulation ◽

Social Effects ◽

Biological Processes ◽

Pain Experience ◽

Pain Research ◽

Multiple Components

A gap exists between translating basic science research into effective pain therapies in humans. While preclinical pain research has primarily used animal models to understand biological processes, a lesser focus has been toward using animal models to fully consider other components of the pain experience, such as psychological and social influences. Herein, we provide an overview of translational studies within pain research by breaking them down into purely biological, psychological and social influences using a framework derived from the biopsychosocial model. We draw from a wide landscape of studies to illustrate that the pain experience is highly intricate, and every attempt must be made to address its multiple components and interactors to aid in fully understanding its complexity. We highlight our work where we have developed animal models to assess the cognitive and social effects on pain modulation while conducting parallel experiments in people that provide proof-of-importance for human pain modulation. In some instances, human pain research has sparked the development of novel animal models, with these animal models used to better understand the complexity of phenomena considered to be uniquely human such as placebo responses and empathy.

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228: Physical and Psychosocial Predictors of Pain Experience in CP/CPPS

The Journal of Urology ◽

10.1016/s0022-5347(18)37490-1 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 171 (4S) ◽

pp. 60-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Dean Tripp ◽

J. Curtis Nickel ◽

J. Richard Landis ◽

Yanlin Wang

Keyword(s):

Psychosocial Predictors ◽

Pain Experience

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Dimensionality and Reliability Assessment of the Pain Patient Profile Questionnaire

European Journal of Psychological Assessment ◽

10.1027/1015-5759.24.1.22 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 22-26 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Brian E. McGuire ◽

Michael J. Hogan ◽

Todd G. Morrison

Keyword(s):

Self Report ◽

Pain Patient ◽

Fit Indices ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Oblique Rotation ◽

Pain Experience ◽

Patient Profile ◽

Adequate Representation ◽

Pain Patients ◽

Report Measure

Abstract. Objective: To factor analyze the Pain Patient Profile questionnaire (P3; Tollison & Langley, 1995 ), a self-report measure of emotional distress in respondents with chronic pain. Method: An unweighted least squares factor analysis with oblique rotation was conducted on the P3 scores of 160 pain patients to look for evidence of three distinct factors (i.e., Depression, Anxiety, and Somatization). Results: Fit indices suggested that three distinct factors, accounting for 32.1%, 7.0%, and 5.5% of the shared variance, provided an adequate representation of the data. However, inspection of item groupings revealed that this structure did not map onto the Depression, Anxiety, and Somatization division purportedly represented by the P3. Further, when the analysis was re-run, eliminating items that failed to meet salience criteria, a two-factor solution emerged, with Factor 1 representing a mixture of Depression and Anxiety items and Factor 2 denoting Somatization. Each of these factors correlated significantly with a subsample's assessment of pain intensity. Conclusion: Results were not congruent with the P3's suggested tripartite model of pain experience and indicate that modifications to the scale may be required.

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