Kevin Pang
PSYC144: Psychobiology and Culture of Pain
Fall 2003
Final Project

Hypothesis

   My hypothesis is that people of lower socioeconomic status will be less expressive of their pain for the following reasons:    The reasoning for these statements is explained below:

   The poor depend on their physical health for income

   The lower class is comprised significantly of physical laborers, otherwise known as "blue collar" workers, who depend on their health to perform their jobs. Because of this, physical pain and injury is more devastating to workers in the lower rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. For example, chronic lower back pain is potentially a career ending injury for workers required to lift heavy objects. However, the exact same injury may only slightly hinder, say, an office worker's ability to do his/her job. The ramifications of being diagnosed with a debilitating injury directly affects how expressive a worker will be with his/her pain. Workers afraid of losing their source of income are unlikely to express their pain.

   Furthermore, taking time off from work to treat pain is not a feasible option for most people of lower socioeconomic status. Physical labor is not incredibly skill intensive which increases the risk of being laid off and replaced by healthier, more effective workers when injured/healing. In addition, even if an injured worker is guaranteed his/her job back when recovered, they still must find a way to earn money while in the healing process. The poor do not have enough money saved to support living expenses for a substantial amount of time (by the very definition of being poor) which makes taking time off from work an even less appealing option.

   This all leads me to believe that lower class workers will be very stoical when it comes to pain. They literally can not afford to risk losing their jobs and thus should resist showing signs of pain. They will instead choose to accept pain as a part of life that must be endured in order to survive. The unfortunate consequence of this negligence and denial is that it results in unecessary suffering for lower class workers and could result in more serious injuries down the line. But, because these lower class workers depend on their perceived physical health for money, they will remain reluctant to show pain.

   The poor have limited knowledge about available treatment

   People of lower socioeconomic status are generally less educated than members of the upper class. They are not presented the same opportunities to educate themselves because of their financial status. Because of this, the poor community may be oblivious to the medical facilities available to them. Moreover, these people may not feel proper medical treatment is within their financial capabilities. There is a common belief that proper medical treatment is reserved for those with money. Insurance, hospital bills, drugs, and medical devices used to help patients recover from injuries and relieve pain can be costly and the economic burden for purchasing these may keep the poor from obtaining proper treatment.

   Furthermore, the poor also lack knowledge about basic health care techniques. They are unaware of how to take care of their health in their daily routines. They may be unaware of proper health practices and the consequences of not abiding by them. Furthermore, the poor are exposed to health risks such as dirty water, poor diet, and unsanitary living conditions which increase their chance of developing painful injuries and illnesses..

   The general lack of knowledge in the poor community leads me to believe that they will not be aware of the medical treatment available and hard pressed to afford proper care. In addition, the poor community is exposed to health risks and are generally less aware, or simply unable (not even money, not enough time, etc), to take proper care of themselves. Because of this, the poor will feel helpless when in pain. They will feel unable to access the facilities needed to cure their ails and will not understand why they are in pain, how to cure it, or how to avoid it. Pain develops into a normal experience that one has to endure and thus not worth expressing since its causes are inexplicable and its cures are unobtainable.

   The poor do not expect sympathy from fellow members of the poor community

   This hypothesis is the one I'm least positive of. It may be the case that poor people are extremely expressive of their pain with those they most closely associate with. We have read case studies in class that show people are sometimes more comfortable expressing their feelings to those familiar to them and this may apply to the poor community as well. However, I believe that the poor will be stoic about their pain with their fellow members of the poor community. It seems to me that enduring pain is viewed as simply a part of life for the poor (due to the reasons mentioned above), and that because of this there will be a general sense that other poor people are enduring their own, similar painful experiences. Complaining about one's pain may not result in much sympathy because there is no reason to another poor person is living pain-free. After all, other members of the poor community have more pressing issues to worry about than someone else's pain. It seems unreasonable to seek help and sympathy from someone that is having enough trouble trying to care for themselves.

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