Physical or mental pain?

[JWvonGoethe]

I was chopping up a bit of chicken this morning and managed to slice off a bit of finger; this hurt like a bitch. It got me thinking, however; maybe I'm lucky, in that physical pain is something I've never really suffered - I've broken a few bones, been stitched up a few times, and had 3 or 4 really bad toothaches - but never anything that had me screaming for it to stop. On the other hand, I've had a number of experiences in my life that caused me great distress, maybe what you would call mental torment, and at one time I came close to losing the plot altogether. Can anyone tell me that physical pain is harder to endure than mental?

[edfurlong]

The Pear



[ QUOTE ]
Its name comes from its shape. This instrument had a screw mechanism by which it was progressively expanded to the maximum aperture of the two or three elements it was made of.

This instrument was forced into the mouth or rectum of male victims and into the vagina of female victims. The oral, rectal, or vaginal pear was inflicted on people guilty of sodomy, on women guilty of adultery, people guilty of incest or sexual union with Satan, and it was also inflicted on heretical preachers and blasphemers.

This torture has in itself the implicit idea of inflicting punishment that was opposite to the kind of crime one had been charged with.


[/ QUOTE ]

[Skoob]

Physical pain is easier to treat and cure than emotional pain, that's for sure.

Physical pain gets all the press and is well represented in film because it's understood so much more than emotional pain.

Emotional pain is subjective in that it's much more difficult to gauge.

Cut your arm off and everyone will agree that it hurts like crazy. Ritual emotional abuse during your youth, not so easy to peg.

Emotional pain is not well understood.

[ed8383]

[ QUOTE ]
Physical pain is easier to treat and cure than emotional pain, that's for sure.

Physical pain gets all the press and is well represented in film because it's understood so much more than emotional pain.

Emotional pain is subjective in that it's much more difficult to gauge.

Cut your arm off and everyone will agree that it hurts like crazy. Ritual emotional abuse during your youth, not so easy to peg.

Emotional pain is not well understood.

[/ QUOTE ]
your post is too philosophical for this forum, please leave and never come back!

[JWvonGoethe]

I think skoob answers my question very well - thank you. Although I think I'll settle for a bit of depression Mr Furlong.

[whiskeytown]

[ QUOTE ]
I was chopping up a bit of chicken this morning and managed to slice off a bit of finger; this hurt like a bitch. It got me thinking, however; maybe I'm lucky, in that physical pain is something I've never really suffered - I've broken a few bones, been stitched up a few times, and had 3 or 4 really bad toothaches - but never anything that had me screaming for it to stop. On the other hand, I've had a number of experiences in my life that caused me great distress, maybe what you would call mental torment, and at one time I came close to losing the plot altogether. Can anyone tell me that physical pain is harder to endure than mental?

[/ QUOTE ]

I thought I read a study somewhere that scientists concluded the same centers in the brain that are affected by physical illness are also affected by mental illness - to the brain, the response is essentially the same, but in both cases, it has to get pretty extreme for folks to seek death.

if chronic physical pain was less difficult then mental pain to endure, we wouldn't be having the euthenisa debate in society right now whereas it seems to crop up every year in one country/state/city or another -

rb

[TIEdup14]

there's a good bit in 1984 about physical pain

[JWvonGoethe]

[ QUOTE ]
there's a good bit in 1984 about physical pain

[/ QUOTE ]

I've read it - maybe I should have posted this in philosophy; still, thanks for the replies.