Intentionality in Pain: Individual Responses and Outcomes in the Experience of Pain

Abstract

This study investigates why individuals who experience the same pain instance may have different long-term outcomes, focusing on the mental and emotional transformations that follow pain rather than immediate reactions. Previous psychological and philosophical discussions have highlighted various factors influencing these outcomes, but this thesis argues that intentionality may be a crucial element in understanding how individuals derive meaning from pain experiences. Intentionality, the directedness of the mind towards an object or state, results in intentional content that motivates subsequent attitudes and behaviors. The thesis posits that pain is a mental state with intentional content. It also defends an affective-motivational dimension of pain, that drives behavior following the pain experience. This perspective challenges the assumption that same or identical pain cases should yield identical outcomes across individuals. Instead, it suggests that variations in intentional content, influenced by background, culture, and education, etc., are key determinants of these differing outcomes. The structure of the work includes an introduction, a detailed examination of intentionality and its role in forming intentional content, and a discussion of pain as a phenomenon with a focus on its affective-motivational dimension, as well as the discussion of pain as a mental state with intentional content. The integration of these discussions leads to the central argument that the outcomes of pain experiences are tied to the intentional content of the pain state. This content, shaped by the directedness of thought and the presentation of the pain instance, influences the affect and motivation derived from the pain experience, thereby propelling different outcomes in individuals. By demonstrating that the outcome of pain experiences does not directly and necessarily follow from the pain instance itself but from the intentional content, this thesis provides a nuanced explanation for the diverse responses to similar pain experiences. The final chapter summarizes the arguments and presents a conclusion that reinforces the significance of intentional content in understanding the variability of pain outcomes.