Which statement correctly pairs a pain type with its descriptor?

• A. Psychogenic pain — physical cause cannot be identified
• B. Psychogenic pain — pain with tissue damage
• C. Physiologic response — reflects mood and emotions
• D. Affective response — involuntary reflex

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is distinguishing pain types by their origin and how they’re described. Psychogenic pain is real pain that arises largely from psychological factors, with no identifiable physical tissue damage or disease causing it. The descriptor “pain with tissue damage cannot be identified” fits this concept, which is why it’s the best pairing.

Pain that involves actual tissue injury or damage is physical (nociceptive) pain, so describing it as psychogenic would be inaccurate. A physiologic response refers to bodily processes like heart rate or sweating and is not about mood or emotions. An affective response deals with the emotional experience of pain, not an involuntary reflex, which is a rapid, automatic motor response governed by the nervous system.