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Recognition Theory in Nurse/Patient Relationships: The contribution of Gillian Rose
Author(s) -
Cummings Rachel
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
nursing philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.367
H-Index - 35
eISSN - 1466-769X
pISSN - 1466-7681
DOI - 10.1111/nup.12220
Subject(s) - normative , existentialism , hegelianism , identity (music) , interpersonal communication , epistemology , nursing theory , rose (mathematics) , psychology , interpersonal relationship , politics , psychoanalysis , sociology , social psychology , philosophy , law , medline , aesthetics , political science , mathematics , geometry
Recognition theory attempts to conceptualize interpersonal relationships and their normative political implications. British social philosopher Gillian Rose developed her own version of recognition rooted in the work of Georg Hegel. This article applies Rose's theory of recognition to care, arguing that its emphasis on lack of identity, the dynamic process of recognition and the existential risks involved accurately describes the relationship between nurse and patient. Rose's version is compared to both contemporary notions of the interpersonal in healthcare literature, other forms of recognition theory and Emmanuel Levinas's vision of intersubjective relationships, a traditional philosophical basis for nursing care. In each case, I will argue that Rosean recognition is a fuller, more complex and ultimately more satisfying view of the relationships involved.