[suzy_99]

pain can be overcome with hypnosis. There are documented cases of people having actual surgery while hypnotized and I know this because I am a psychology major. Hypnotism is also a very effective pain killer if it is used correctly. It is especially effective when people have "phantom Limb Pains" from an amputated limb. What I meant with the child comment, was that a lot of our responses to pain are learned, a child learns to say oww by watching those around him or her and modelling them.
Pain is also psychological in the sense that we as humans have the ability to stop our own pain, if we knew how to control our minds. People given placebo pain killers often say that it got rid of their pain, but in truth, the mind just released endorphins which are the bodies own pain killers. If we could control our mind enough to know how to release these, then pain would be almost non-existent. Also, pain is related to a person's anxiety level. If you are nervous, the pain will be much worse. Distraction work wonders for people who are in "serious" pain. Just get them to talk about something else and they will forget that they are even hurt (this works wonders with broken bones). So obviously, the mind has a lot to do with our perception of pain and it is clearly not just a reflex.

Here is a direct quote from my psychology textbook:
" We learn how to react to pain by observing family members, peers, and other social role models, that is why members of some societies endure cutting, burning, whipping, tattooing, and piercing of the skin that would agonize you or me".