“Now we take over”
– a discourse analysis of subject positions in psychiatric nursing
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/nu.v41i1.136829Keywords:
psychiatry, gender, power, ethics, discourseAbstract
Drawing on the theory of discourse laid out by Laclau and Mouffe, we have analyzed and interpreted an exemplary text book on psychi- atric nursing that represents dominant percep- tions of the relationship between psychiatric nurses and patients. Our analysis has eluci
References
dated the ways in which this particular text book structures a certain gendered subject po- sition of the psychiatric “Nurse” as a dominant and caring mother by perpetuating religious and feminist standpoints. The subject posi- tion of the “Nurse” is articulated in contrast to a particular subjectivation of the “Patient” as weak and childlike. Moreover, we discuss how such discursive articulations are embed- ded in the professional and ethical structures of the psychiatric field. Conclusively, this ar- ticle accentuates the relevancy of including a more social scientific orientation in psychiatric research and practice.
