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Time: 8 hours
Level: Introductory
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 Introduction Resource- To set up a care relationship that works well is a delicate matter, whether you are at the giving or the receiving end. In this unit we explore the very varied meanings of care relationships and how these...
| | | | | 1: Playing roles together
- 1: Playing roles together Resource
- Care relationships are seldom just a matter of ‘doing what come naturally’. For one thing, you may be caring for, or being cared for, by someone you would not otherwise get on with. A care relationship...
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- Activity 1 Resource
- Let us first consider what kind of ‘scene’ the home help was proposing that she and Reg should play out together.
- 2.1: A different definition Resource
- How was Glenda’s presentation of herself different from the previous home helps? Having read the interview with Reg answer the following questions.
- 2.2: Everyday scenes Resource
- Think of examples of everyday scenes, at home or a work, which could be radically reshaped by an opening remark
| | | | | 3: Defining yourself within the scene
- Social interactions Resource
- The sociologist Erving Goffman studied how people relate to each other across a wide range of situations. According to him, each of us enters into ‘social interactions’ with an interest in trying to control...
- 3.1: Unsuccessful presentations Resource
- Can you think of a recent situation where you felt uncomfortable because you did not manage to ‘project’ yourself as you would have liked (too shy say, or too loud, or just stupid)? Can you think of how...
| | | | | 4: Playing to the ‘script’
- Taking on a role Resource
- You can only succeed with a projection of yourself which other people are prepared to accept. And you then have to play out the scene the way others in the situation expect it to be played.
- 4.1: The doctor–patient relationship Resource
- However, some care relationships are more tightly defined and more hierarchical, for example a doctor’s relationship with a patient. Within the biomedical model, the doctor’s role is to focus on the patient’s...
- 4.2: Structures that both enable and constrain Resource
- Life within a society is made possible by structures. They operate at many levels, from the details of daily life (e.g. the routines of getting up in the morning, or the ritual greetings we use when we...
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- Agreeing who to be Resource
- So far I have focused on one-to-one interactions. Yet ‘defining a scene’ is often a group effort. Goffman says this involves teamwork, with all participants, in effect, agreeing to act and speak within...
- 5.1: Playing doctors, nurses and patients Resource
- It is easy to see how junior doctors can see themselves as being the centre of everything. The doctor arrives, decisions are taken, the action begins. Nurses, perhaps cross and impatient about any delay...
- 5.2: The doctor-nurse relationship Resource
- In reality, however, the nurse spends much more time with patients and often knows a lot that the doctor does not. Somehow the nurse needs to be able to communicate essential knowledge to the doctor, in...
- 5.3: The patient’s role Resource
- The patient is entirely passive in this scene. Does that mean that she has no role and is unimportant to the scene? Does her silence contribute anything?
- 5.4: The modern day relationship Resource
- However, things have been changing since Stein outlined the doctor-nurse game. A more recent study in Sweden reported that:
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- 6.1: Working in ambiguous situations Resource
- So far the focus has been on discussing scenes played out in the highly structured settings of hospitals and doctors’ surgeries. However, a lot of care takes place in settings where structures are much...
- 6.2: Assessing risk Resource
- Dev Sharma’s arrival at the Durrants’ home, following an incident involving a knife, is an example of an ambiguous situation. The morning after the incident he has to visit the Durrants, having received...
- 6.3: Communicating and engaging Resource
- Listen to the audio of Dev’s visit. Think about Dev’s handling of the Durrant case, the way he communicated and engaged with those involved on the morning after the knife incident. Then answer these questions....
- 6.4: Difficult communications Resource
- Listen again to the audio of Dev’s attempted conversation with Lynne. Dev tries twice to speak to Lynne through the door. But what ‘script’ can you work from when someone is not even prepared to be in...
| | | | | 7: ‘Care values’ in relationships
- 7: ‘Care values’ in relationships Resource
- In his dealings with Lynne and Arthur, Dev is expected to speak and act in accordance with the basic values of the social work profession. CCETSW guidelines include the requirement that he should:
| | | | | 8: When meanings fall apart
- The experience of Hillsborough Resource
- We have explored the challenges of entering into situations which are ambiguous and open to competing interpretations. But what happens in a situation where nobody knows what is going on, where established...
- 8.1: ‘Props’ to support a performance Resource
- Heller leaves no doubt about the horror and panic produced by situation where action was urgently called for, yet there was in framework within which to construct action. He found himself desperately casting...
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- 9: Conclusion Resource
- In this Unit you have seen the importance of the shared meanings that we construct together – how they enable us to act collectively within social situations. In particular, you have explored Goffman’s...
| | | | | References and Acknowledgements | | |
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