Tolerance for Experimentally Induced Pain as Related to Personality

SCHALLING, D. Tolerance for experimentally induced pain as related to personality. Scand. J. Psychol. , 1971, 12, 271–281.–Relations between responses to noxious electrical stimulation (pain thresholds and tolerance levels) and personality variables were studied in a group of z6 students. Method of stimulation increase was found to be an important factor. When continuous stimulation increase was applied, the pain measures were significantly related only to scores in the Solidity scale of the Marke‐Nyman Temperament inventory, low Solidity (extravert‐impulsive) subjects showing high pain tolerance. When stimulation was increased in discrete steps (shocks), the pain measures were significantly related to scores in neuroticism‐psychasthenia and extraversion scales, psychasthenic subjects being less and extravert subjects more tolerant of the stimulation. These results are consistently in the expected directions and are well in line with the implications of the personality concepts. Pain thresholds and tolerance levels were significantly correlated and showed similar patterns of correlation with the personality variables.