[Pain as an experience constituting body and identity].

This article focuses on the philosophical perspective of what pain actually is, how pain is defined and what functions pain has. It is unclear, for example, whether pain generally correlates with physical harm, if it is categorically unpleasant, if it can be objectified and how observable neuronal processes correlate with different experiences of pain. Particular attention is paid to investigations concerning neuro-imaging, as well as phenomenological and psychoanalytical considerations. The different functions of pain are presented, especially regarding the extent to which pain represents an experience that constitutes both the body and the identity. Some functions of pain discussed here are: defense and indicator, immediate bodily sensation, perceptibility of the body, self-reassurance of existence, congregating and materializing, psychological regulatory mechanism and communication.