psychology of pain Flashcards
1
Q
what is pain?
A
- unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of damage
- sensory and emotional discomfort
- usually associated with tissue damage (bodily harm)
- psychological phenomenon
2
Q
process of pain
A
- stimulation at the local tissue site (noxious stimulation)
- chemicals released - infalmmation and activation of nerve endings, nerves transmit to spinal cord via nociceptors, then to brain
- pain is a construct of the brain
3
Q
mechanisms of placebo (why and how does it work)
A
why?
- expectancy theory
- conditioning
how?
- endogenous opiods and neurotransmitters (dopamine and serotonin)
