Literature consideration on pain theory

통증학설에 대한 문헌적 고찰

Pain, which is the most significant issue for the physical therapist, is the cause of various diseases until it disappears, and results in a lot of obstructions to treatment. Pain is very complicated. It is a subjective symptom that informs of a pathologic condition in the body, and one of the unpleasant experiences that people have. It is accompanied with anxiety and fear. Many researchers including Krause(1987) have identified the pain mechanism based on pain perception for many centuries and they have suggested many theories as they believed that pain management was possible. Reviewing the contents of psychoanalysis, uncontrollable pain that can't be explained is described as a defense mechanism to an unconscious psychological conflict. That is, mental pain is transferred to the body and the pain becomes unbearable. What is important is, like Keefe(1992) said, that the pain experience itself is primary stress and one should cope with it, whatever the cause of the pain. This paper investigates the background of the psychological theory of pain. Based on the efforts of previous studies, the next research generation will understand the treatment process for pain more dearly and will contribute to the prevention and protection from pain that humans undergo.