The Psychology and Management of Pain

Abstract

The theory and treatment of pain have undergone major changes since 1950. Significant has been the gate control theory of pain, first described in 1965. This theory symbolizes a new epistemology and praxis of pain by redefining pain as a process. The redefinition legitimated new treatment possibilities for pain, making all of a patient's existence fair game for professional management. Social uses of the new psychology of pain are examined, in the context of a critique of the object of medical knowledge and power, the patient as a `person'. In the name of overcoming Cartesian dualism (which today carries a negative value), the new theory and treatment possibilities (which are holistic, therefore `better') promote a greater technical management of human suffering.