A central aim of the study had been to try and examine the role of emotions and feelings in pain perception and to explore how mind and body act on conceptualization of pain. Marcia explained in the cultural aspect of pain management “Emotive patients are more likely to verbalize their expressions of pain, prefer to have people around and expect others to react to their pain so as to validate their discomfort” (para 2).
The major concept of Indian culture that are related to pain and suffering are presented. The Indian hindu mystic philosopher (Rabindranath Tagore 1861-1941) says “let me not beg for the stilling of my pain but for the heart to conquer it.” Suffering from both the mental and physical, thought to be part of the unfolding of karma and is the consequence of the/ past inappropriate action (mental, verbal, physical) that occurred in either one’s current life or in a past life. It is not seen as punishment but as a natural consequence of the moral laws of the universe in response to past negative behavior. Indian tradition promote coping with suffering by accepting it as a just consequence and understanding that suffering is not random. If a people were to ask “why me? Or feel her circumstances were “not fair” a response would be that her current situation is the exactly correct situation for her to be in, given her soul’s previous action. According to this culture holds that as we are in human form on earth, we are bound by the laws of our world and will experience physical pain.
Pain is truly felt in our current physical bodies; it is not illusory in the sense of not really being felt. But while the body may be in pain, the self or soul is not affected or harmed. The relationship between pain and ethnicity is shaped by experience, learning and culture. Increasing ethnic diversity means clinicians are regularly required to meet the needs of people from different cultures and offer culturally relevant health care. The experience of pain differentially activates stress related physiological responses across various ethnic groups, members of different ethnic groups appear to use differing coping strategies in managing pain complaints, providers’ treatment decisions vary as a function of patient ethnicity. A cultural group’s expectations and acceptance of pain as a normal part of life will determine whether pain is seen as a clinical problem that requires a clinical solution.
- http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/pastoral/events/Hindu_painsuffering.pdf
- http://www.dimensionsofculture.com/2010/11/cultural-aspects-of-pain-management/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4768565/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/244916406_Cultural_Influences_on_Pain_Perceptions_and_Behaviors
- https://www.nursingcenter.com/cearticle?an=00129191-201011000-00003 http://www.kybeleworldwide.org/041013-the-pain-of-childbirth—differing-cultural-perceptions.html
