The Threshold of Pain and the Catalytic Stimuli

What is pain? In the psychological world, pain is defined as a "displeasure" that can be caused by a number of stimuli; such stimuli are natural elements (wind, water, air, earth, fire, etc.) and/or man inflicted (body piercing, tattoos, shootings, etc.). The human body senses pain when damage to the body is occurring (Santrock, 2003, p.214). The degree of pain varies from person to person because of the sensory reception and/or receptors of the individual in connection to the stimuli (Santrock, 2003, p. 215). Some stimuli, however, go undetected (Smith, 1994, p.866). If a person experiences the same pain repeatedly, overtime, the individual becomes numb to the pain, This numbness to the pain is an example of an undetected stimulus. Aside from the variable number of the sensory receptors of each individual, there also exist differences in the level of the sensory reception among different cultures. However, if a person has a low tolerance to pain due to biological differences or cultural differences, there are still methods that can be implemented to minimize a person's perception of the pain.

Culture and ethnic contexts can greatly determine the degree to which the individual experiences pain. Some cultures have a higher tolerance of pain then other cultures, and/or some cultures are just more hesitant to express their pain. For instance, Asian Indians generally have a higher pain threshold than Americans, and the pain that they experience are not shown in their reactions as much as Americans (Nayak, 2000, p.135). An example that illustrates the Indian pain threshold is a ritual that is performed in India. This ritual consists of a person traveling from town to town while suspended from metal hooks that are embedded in his back. Reportedly, the person suspended feels no sensation of pain (Santrock, 2003, 216). Another example of the variation of pain perception from culture to culture is the pain of childbirth. In Eastern cultures (such as Asia), childbirth is not expected to be painful, and after giving birth, the mothers are able to continue normal activities within a few hours. However, in Western cultures (such as North America and Europe) woman giving birth are expected to go through extreme pain. Emphasis on pain relayed to the mother through the culture affects how much pain the mother expects to feel, and how much pain the mother experiences. These examples reveal that each culture perceives pain differently; some have a high threshold for pain whereas others have a lower threshold.

If a person was raised in a culture with a lowered tolerance for pain, they are not stuck. There are strategies that one can follow and practice to minimize the amount of pain that one experiences. If a person is distracted, he/she will feel less pain. One study that was published in Behavioral Medicine, found that when people were distracted, they exhibited and experienced less pain in comparison with when they were not distracted at all (Unrod, 2004, p.136). This is a good technique to minimize the perception of pain because the focus on the sensation from pain may in fact magnify the amount of pain, making it seem worse than it is. For instance, if a person pays too close attention to the needle penetrating his/her skin when he/she get a shot, the focus on the needle generally magnifies the amount of pain perceived; when they turn away and become distracted by a poster or a conversation, he/she appears to experience less pain. Another strategy to lessen pain is to focus on his/her breathing. When a person focuses his/her breathing and takes short, fast breathes, he/she closes the pain gate in his/her body, which diminishes the amount of pain (Santrock, 2003, 216). An example of this is childbirth. Many classes are available for an expecting mother teaching her to focus on her breathing. She generally experiences less pain during childbirth than mothers who were not taught the technique. A third strategy to reduce pain is counterstimulation (Santrock, 2003, p.216). Counterstimulation is effective because it draws the person's attention away from pain, and diverts the attention to something else happening to the body. An example of this is when one's cheek is pinched, after he/she has gotten a cut; they are numb to the pain of the cut (Santrock, 2003, p.216). These are good techniques to minimize pain.