Ugh, this hurts!
 

I would say being mentally hurt is worse. You're "feelings" and emotions swirl, causing stress or depression or both. Getting hurt physically does bring pain, but that will go away over time a lot sooner than being hurt mentally.

I dont know, I have been hurt both ways and I can handle both when my mental state was hurt from loosing everything, divorce, ect. I knew that no one was going to help me with it therefore I became the kind of person who mentally can do anything which helped my physical capabilities, pain is mearly an illusion

Ummm I dont really know, If you hurt someone one way it is bad anyways. If you hurt someone mentally they could then hurt them selfs Phsycally, and Vise Versa!

I think that both ways can be equally bad. But it also depends from who has come this harm. And of course, the pain is much bigger the closer the person is to you. But in that case usually, if the pain is caused mentally, it can be worse than physically... but hell, years ago I broke my arm in 3 parts, and that thing hurt like bloody hell, and probably I will never forget it XD

Well it all depends on what degree of pain we're talking about here...

In most cases, mental offence lasts longer than physical offence.

I agree with Fortune.

It also depends on the situation. The worse, I think, would be to hit someone while putting them down; attacking both physically and mentally at once. *shudder*

I agree with Fortune. A mental or emotional pain takes a long time to go away.. Physical it only lasts until your body heals.

I don't think it's possible to separate it out to purely phsycial or mental pain.

Young children who are physically abused don't usually show any mental signs until many years later. Whilst the physical effects have long since worn off, the mental trauma (that at the time they didn't understand) can manifest itself in many ways later in life. So in these cases, you have to ask where they physically or mentally abused?

A child treated violently (in a physical manner) by it's parents may grow up believing this is the norm, and replicate this behaviour to their own children because they were mentally affected by the physical abuse.

Conversely many children who suffer mental abuse, grow up and take out their feelings in a physical manner in later life - this is a common trait in many serial killers.

I would say that whilst there is solely mental abuse, in many cases mental trauma is a by-product of physical abuse.

I suppose going from that, mental pain, whether that be caused directly or as a consequence of physical actions, is by far the worst. Mental pain can have far-reaching effects and remain buried for years - and in some cases affect a person for life.

At least brusies and cuts can heal.

- S

well i sufer form both mental and physicall pain most of the time.
the physicall pain does go away in the end whereas the mental pain is always there. physicall wounds may heal but the memory of them may not. mental wounds last longer and are much harder to be forgotton.
Personally i think mental wounds are worse because its easier to cope with physicall pain.

I'd rather be hurt phisically.

I can really be hurt emotionally by what some people say, but actual bruises and whatnot an always heal, and you get girl sympothy in the end.

Being mentally hurt is far more atrocious than it being physically since, as others have said, has long-term effects. A good example would be that if a person has a weak mind, they're spirit could easily be crushed by mental abuse. They would start to think that they are nothing but insignificant, useless lifeforms. Or, if the person who inflicts this pain so wishes it, could even lead the abuse to manipulation; thereby controlling the victim as if he/she were just a puppet.

On the other hand, physical pain can also cause some lasting effects if it damaged the human body enough to do so; like having third-degree burns on one's body and other similar visual/near-death experiences.