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Title: Pain remains a mystery in the field of psychology. Describe the gate-control th Post by: colleen on May 27, 2012 Pain remains a mystery in the field of psychology. Describe the gate-control theory and note its limitations. Include a discussion of phantom pain in your answer. How has Melzack revised this theory?
Title: Re: Pain remains a mystery in the field of psychology. Describe the gate-control th Post by: ThePsychic on May 29, 2012 The gate-control theory was first proposed by Melzack and Wall.
According to this theory, pain impulses must get past a “gate” in the spinal cord. The gate is normally closed, but opens when an injury occurs allowing pain information to reach the brain. Thoughts and feelings, as well as attention to or distraction from pain, can cause the gate to open or close, altering our awareness of pain. Phantom pain is perceived as occurring in a limb that has been amputated. Because there are no nerve impulses for the spinal cord gate to block or let through, there should be no sensation of pain. Melzack has revised the gate-control theory to say that the brain responds not only to incoming pain signals from sensory nerves, but also is capable of generating pain as a result of memories, emotions, expectations, and input from various brain centers. |