Pain Insensitivity
The myth of a higher pain threshold in black bodies can be linked to the early 19th century in which slaves were able to endure, with minimal expressions of pain, the abuse of their masters. This myth served to diminish any guilt among slave masters for the recurring abuse they inflicted on the slaves. Psychological studies exhibit that this myth is still prevalent today, with participants both Black and white expressing that Blacks have a lesser capacity to experience pain than whites. The pain inequality problem resonates in our healthcare field as well.
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