Maynard1991a

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Maynard1991a
BibType ARTICLE
Key Maynard1991a
Author(s) Douglas W. Maynard
Title Interaction and asymmetry in clinical discourse
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, Medical EMCA, Authority
Publisher
Year 1991
Language
City
Month
Journal American Journal of Sociology
Volume 97
Number 2
Pages 448–495
URL Link
DOI 10.1086/229785
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

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Abstract

This article investigates the way in which physicians or clinicians apparently advance their professional dominance by ignoring lifeworld concerns of the patients of clients they see. Usual analyses of this phenomenon invoke conceptions of authority to explain it implicitly, or they propose that the asymmetry of clinical discourse relies solely on an institutional basis. In order to discover and analyze interactional aspects of the clinical encounter, comparative studies between institutional and everyday contexts are necessary. This article demonstrates that, through the use of a conversational "perspective display series," which is adapted to the clinical environment, a delivery of "bad" diagnosis news can coimplicate the patient's perspective and promote understanding and the appearance of agreement between clinician and patient. In general, describing manifestations of institutional power and authority should include analysis of the ways that participants organize interaction in the first place.

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