Pain

Pain in one form or another is probably the most common symptom presented to medical and healthcare professionals. Long a subject of biomedical interest, more recent biopsychosocial theories have extended the study of pain as a concept which is highly individual in the way it is experienced. Today's landscape offers a broad array of approaches to understanding pain and, crucially, to alleviating its impact.This concise and accessible volume aims to make sense of what is at first sight an eclectic mix of theoretical and practical work on pain, from a distinctly sociological perspective. While there has been much quantitative medical research on pain, in exploring sociology's important contributions to this field Elaine Denny offers insight into the world of those living with pain and the meaning it has in their lives. She provides readers with a range of explanations of pain and various influences on the experience of pain, critically analysing competing schools of thought and embedding this work in the everyday practice of providing care. The result is an illuminating volume for students of health and medical professions studying pain, the body, and the sociology of health and illness.

Introduction Chapter 1: Historical Perspectives on Pain Chapter 2: Sociological Theory, Concepts and Pain Chapter 3: The Experience of Pain Chapter 4: Care and Care Services for Pain Chapter 5: Structures of Diversity and Pain Chapter 6: Pain as an Contested Experience Chapter 7: Emotional Pain and Suffering Chapter 8: Health Professionals’ Experience of Pain Chapter 9 Conclusion References Index