The phenomenon of chronic pain has led researchers to broaden their understanding of pain beyond the sensory sphere and recognize its sociocultural and psychological dimensions. For psychoanalysts, pain is evidence of a drive in the body. The problem of pain and its relation to jouissance are discussed from the point of view of Freudian and Lacanian metapsychology. From the Freudian perspective, pain is governed by the principle of pleasure-displeasure, whereas from Lacan's point of view, jouissance refers to what lies beyond this principle. In other words, it is related to the death drive.
Physical pain; drive; representation; enjoyment