Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Choosing to Suffer: Reflections on an Enigma

  • Published:
Journal of Religion and Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Most people pursue pleasure and seek to avoid pain. Some individuals, however, choose a life characterized by pain and suffering. The author describes the most common varieties of such behavior patterns: asceticism, martyrdom, penance and masochism. Critical psychodynamics are discussed and the author proposes a synthesis of the motivation underlying pain/suffering seeking behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Boswell, James, Life of Samuel, Johnson, 1791.

  2. Wolpert, Stanley, Gandhi's passion—the Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Oxford University Press, New York 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  3. King, Martin L., Stride Toward Freedom, the Montgomery Story, Harper, New York, 1958.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Cytrin, Leon, Personal conversation.

  5. Meed, Vladka as quoted in Martin, Gilbert, Holocaust Journey, Traveling in Search of the Past, University Press, 1997 325.

  6. Lifton, Betty Jean, The King of Children—the Life and Death of Janus Korczek, St. Martin's Griffin, New York, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Souli, Sofia A, Greek Mythology, Michalis Toubis, 1995, Athens, pp. 62-81.

  8. Baudelaire, Charles P., Fleurs Du Mal, a new translation by RichardHoward, Boston, D.R. Godine, 1982.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C

    Allan S. Berger

Authors
  1. Allan S. Berger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Berger, A.S. Choosing to Suffer: Reflections on an Enigma. Journal of Religion and Health 42, 251–255 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024843702805

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024843702805

Search

Navigation