2: EVOLUTION OF PROFESSIONAL ROLES IN NURSING ■ 59Sociological Schools of Thought on Roles
There are two very prominent sociological schools of thought on roles and social inter-
actions that serve as frameworks or even paradigms in which individuals, institutions,
and systems operate. In Table 2.1 , the functionalist view, as mostly attributed to the emi-
nent sociologist Emile Durkeim (1964), and the competing symbolic interaction perspec-
tive best articulated by Mead (1934), Cooley (1964), and Blumer (1969) are summarized.
In a functionalist view, or in structural– functional theory, the roles that individu-
als play in society evolve out of very organic systems that constantly interact and are
somewhat predictable. For example, in the case of the professional nurse, there is a need
in society for nurses to perform certain roles (e.g., health educator, caregiver, advocate),
and thus most nurses employ those roles in their daily work. DAPNs, however, are in a
TABLE 2.1 Two Perspectives on Roles in Social Interactions
Functionalist View
(Macro- Sociological Analysis)Symbolic Interactionist View
(Micro- Sociological Analysis)
Focus of perspective is on the group and its
demarcation into smaller subgroups, units,
and systems.Focus of perspective is on the individual
interacting and the symbolic interpretation
of both verbal and nonverbal behavior and
cures.
Objects and persons are stimuli that act on an
individual.An individual constructs objects on the basis
of his ongoing activity. He gives meaning to
objects and makes decisions on the basis of
his judgments.
Action is a release or response to what the
situational norms demand.The individual decides what he wishes to do
and how he will do it. He takes account of
external and internal cues, interpreting their
significance for his action.
Environmental forces act to “produce”
behavior.By a process of self- indication, an individual
accepts, rejects, or transforms the meaning
(impact) of such forces.
Prescriptions for action, or norms, dictate
appropriate behaviors. They are social facts.Others’ attitudes are the basis for individual
lines of action.
An act is a unitary, bounded phenomenon;
that is, it starts and stops.An act is disclosed over time and what the
end of the act will be cannot be foretold at the
start.
The act (of an actor) will be followed by the
response of another with or without any
interpretation taking place on the part of the
other.An act is validated by the response of another.Persons act on the basis of a generally
objective reality; that is, learned responses.Reality is defined by each actor; one defines
a situation as he “sees it” and acts on this
perception.
People are socially molded, not forced, to
perform societal functions.Social order is maintained when people share
their understanding of everyday behavior.
Group action is the expression of societal
demands and shared social values.Group action is the expression of individuals
confronting their life situations.Adapted from Conway (1988, p. 65).