Concept in Definition ABC

Etymologically torture comes from the Latin supplicium and which in turn derives from supplex, supplicis, which means supplicant. In its origin the supplicium was a type of sacrifice that was made to an animal with the purpose to please the gods. This original meaning evolved and the word torture acquired two new meanings: as a form of torture and as suffering. moral

The torture and the torture

Torture is an extreme way of punishing someone for a crime. Throughout history there have been and still are mechanisms of torture very diverse. Some torture has the purpose of directly executing the offender and others are aimed at obtaining some type of information. In either circumstance, the victim may have a attitude supplicant and, consequently, betray his collaborators or express regret for their actions.

The word torture has often been used as a euphemism not to speak directly of torture methods.

Some of the most brutal torture or torture have been the saw, the rack, the head crusher, the hanging cages, the wheel or the

maid of iron. These procedures They have been used to subdue the spirit of the victim and cause maximum pain to criminals, heretics and witches.

The torture is associated with torture and humiliation of the human being. The torture of Jesus on the cross is the best known, but we must not forget the martyrs of Christianity, the torture of Prometheus on the mythology Greek or the torments to which Cuauhtémoc, the last ruler of the Mexica people, was subjected before the arrival of the army of Hernán Cortés.

The torture and moral suffering

It is said that a person is going through torture when he experiences a tormented situation and great mental suffering. Therefore, torture must be understood as a manifestation extreme distress caused by a painful situation.

It should be noted that to refer to spiritual or mental suffering we use terms such as anxiety, anguish, ordeal, anguish or torment. These words indicate that there is deep pain, suffering that can be more intense than physical pain.

While the word torture should be used to communicate intense moral pain, sometimes there is a distortion of the term and an improper use of it. Thus, if something is difficult or laborious, we should not say that it is an ordeal. Hence the exclamation "this is torture!" it should only be used when there is truly a feeling of deep pain.

Photos: iStock - Baris Muratoglu / djedzura

Subjects in Ordeal