ANTHROP 3HI3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Chronic Pain, Medicalization, Somatization
Document Summary
The anthropology of pain: cultural, personal, biological and situational contexts are incorporated into pain understanding in anthropology. 72 self defeating problems of pain removing pain removes hurting relationships and stress (social aspects of pain) Private pain: to know whether a person is in pain, we are dependent on that person signalling that fact to us, either verbally or non-verbally. When this happens, pain becomes a social event: often invisible and difficult to communicate to others, can result in a sense of isolation because inability for the person to communicate their pain and make it believable". In some cultures, feeling pain without flinching is a sign of manhood. Howard: trying to find something in his environment that he can hold onto. 61 in one hand he caries a white cushion, and his other hand holds onto furniture around him in case his back gives way: communicating pain in a way we can culturally understand, 2.