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The feeling of pain and the emotion of distress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 August 2003

Eric A. Salzen
Eric A. Salzen
Affiliation:
Psychology Department, University of Aberdeen, Kings College, Aberdeen AB24 2UB, Scotlande.salzen@abdn.uk
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Abstract

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An ethological analysis suggests that effort and protection actions, which are expressions of distress, are comparable with pain expressions. Distress occurs with uncontrollable pain, and the expressions are ritualized pain responses with exaggerated features and lower thresholds. Pain is a sensory-motor feeling state with aversive motivational (hedonic) value. Distress is an emotional state of failure of pain responses to control the pain.

Type
Brief Report
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , August 2002 , pp. 471
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press