The Psychology and Management of Pain

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Abstract
The theory and treatment of pain have undergone major changes since 1950. Significant has been the gate control theory of pain, first described in 1965. This theory symbolizes a new epistemology and praxis of pain by redefining pain as a process. The redefinition legitimated new treatment possibilities for pain, making all of a patient's existence fair game for professional management. Social uses of the new psychology of pain are examined, in the context of a critique of the object of medical knowledge and power, the patient as a `person'. In the name of overcoming Cartesian dualism (which today carries a negative value), the new theory and treatment possibilities (which are holistic, therefore `better') promote a greater technical management of human suffering.