Within the context of psychology, the notion of suffering is posited to encompass the conscious mental phenomena of distress and pain which can take on physical, emotional, or philosophical dimensions of existence. Suffering is not like pain, which is purely a sensation, for suffering entails a qualitatively deeper personal construction of pain infliction.
Cognitive and emotional factors lead to a case of suffering where pain is disproportionate to the physical injury sustained. Thus, fear, hopelessness, or lack of support drives a wedge between the injury and the pain itself. Psychologically, overwhelming emotional pain is characteristic of conditions such as depression, anxiety and trauma.
Yet, suffering is part and parcel of the constitution of humanity as addressed in humanistic and existential psychology. Some approaches to suffering, for example, acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), focus on learning to live with suffering as opposed to aiming for its complete eradication. In contrast, suffering can be transformed into something meaningful, where growth and resilience is obtainable from adversity.