Abstract
Aim. The aim of this paper is to present a model, the ‘Effect of the Professional
Ego’, which provides a psychodynamically informed analytical framework for
examining professional practice in arenas where issues of inequalities need to be
addressed.
Background. There is a great deal of literature on the psychosocial aspects of
inequalities in health care provision. However, the impact of intrapsychic and
professional cultural elements has not been explored in this context. Moreover, the
body of work which does explore these elements in relation to health care workers
does not address how they might impact on health inequalities.
Discussion. Drawing on empirical work, we discuss ways in which intrapsychic and
professional cultural elements feed into the dynamic between clients and health care
professionals in a way which can subvert espoused, positive client health outcomes.
Based on this discussion, we propose the Effect of the Professional Ego model, which
identifies two main aspects of the professional ego – the grandiose self and selfpreservation
– and how they influence the professional/client dynamic.
Conclusion. Systematic self-reflection on the part of professionals would be a
valuable contribution to the development of professional practice. This applies
particularly to conceptualizing the links between the actions of service providers and
the adverse health of clients
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 502-512 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Journal of Advanced Nursing |
Volume | 49 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2005 |
Keywords
- inequalities in health care, discrimination, psychosocial, health inequalities, professional, ego, inverse care law, nursing