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Related Experiment Videos

Complaining about chronic pain.

R Kugelmann1

  • 1Psychology Department, University of Dallas, Irving, TX 75062, USA. kugelman@acad.udallas.edu

Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|November 26, 1999
PubMed
Summary
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This study explores how working-class individuals describe chronic pain, highlighting the struggle to legitimize their suffering and the profound impact on their lives. Their narratives function as complaints seeking validation and redress.

Area of Science:

  • Sociology of Health and Illness
  • Phenomenology
  • Qualitative Health Research

Background:

  • Chronic pain significantly impacts individuals' lives, particularly those from working-class backgrounds.
  • Understanding the lived experience of chronic pain is crucial for effective management and support.
  • Existing research often overlooks the nuanced descriptions and social contexts of chronic pain sufferers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine how working-class individuals describe and experience chronic pain.
  • To explore the 'lived body' of pain through phenomenological analysis.
  • To understand the narrative construction and social implications of chronic pain experiences.

Main Methods:

  • Hermeneutical-phenomenological study.

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  • In-depth interviews with 14 individuals attending a pain management program.
  • Analysis of narratives focusing on descriptions, lived body experiences, and the act of 'saying' pain.

    • Main Results:

    • Pain is described using "mind-body" polarities, requiring individuals to legitimize their suffering objectively.
    • Chronic pain is experienced as an "intolerable" state that disrupts the "lifeworld" and is metaphorically described as "prison" or "homelessness."
    • Narratives of pain function as complaints, a "quasi-legal call to rectify wrongs," addressed to others.

    Conclusions:

    • The experience of chronic pain for working-class individuals involves a struggle for validation within societal frameworks.
    • Pain is not merely a physical sensation but a profound disruption of one's existence, shaping identity and social interaction.
    • Narratives serve as a critical tool for expressing suffering, seeking recognition, and demanding social justice for chronic pain experiences.