 Games that professionals play: The social psychology of physician-nurse interactionM. Tellis-Nayak and V. Tellis-Nayak Social Science & Medicine, 1984, vol. 18, issue 12, 1063-1069 Abstract: The paradox of power dictates that though a society segregates its members into stratified groups, society has to bring these socially distant groups together in a collaborative effort in order to make the social enterprise possible. In terms of professional power, physicians and nurses are hierarchically related in a disparity which is firmly grounded in the social structure. But in a hospital setting these unequal professionals share a common environment and a common goal; they collaborate and communicate in deep interrelationships. Power asymmetry and social intimacy are contrasting categories, and when they are brought together, as in a physician-nurse relationship, there arises an elaborate social ritual that makes an effective communication between them possible without diluting the differences in their status and authority. Their social psychological game manifests itself in both institutional and behavioral expressions. The perpetuation of power rests on a structural and symbolic legitimacy. Any attempt to change the status quo would require that one recognize and deal with both these faces of power. Date: 1984 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:18:y:1984:i:12:p:1063-1069 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from Access Statistics for this article Social Science & Medicine is currently edited by Ichiro (I.) Kawachi and S.V. (S.V.) Subramanian More articles in Social Science & Medicine from Elsevier |
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