Detached concern?: Emotional socialization in twenty-first century medical education

Abstract

Early works in medical sociology have been pivotal in the development of scholarly knowledge about emotions, emotional socialization, and empathy within medical training, medical education, and medical contexts. Yet despite major shifts in both medical education and in medicine writ-large, medical sociologists' focus on emotions has largely disappeared. In this paper, we argue that due to recent radical transformations in the medical arena, emotional socialization within medical education should be of renewed interest for sociologists. Developments in medical education such as increased diversity among enrollees, the rise of patient health movements, and curricular transformation have made this context a particularly interesting case for sociologists working on a variety of questions related to structural, organizational, and cultural change. We offer three areas of debate within studies in medical education that sociologists may be interested in studying: 1) gendered and racialized differences in the performance of clinical skills related to emotion, 2) differences in self-reported empathy among subspecialties, and 3) loss of empathy during the third year or clinical year of medical school.

Professionalism, professionalization, expertise and compassion: a qualitative study of medical residents

“…Closely aligned with empathy is compassion, “a deep feeling of connectedness with the experience of human suffering that requires personal knowing of the suffering of others, evokes a moral response to the recognized suffering that results in caring that brings comfort to the sufferer” [21], and the ability to relate to the vulnerability of others in a meaningful way [18]. Contemporary medical pedagogy generally includes concepts of professionalization, emotional well-being, and clinical empathy [22]. Verghese, for example, purports that the connection essential to providing compassionate care arises from attending to patients’ physical and psychological well-being through listening and touch at the bedside [23].…”

Anthropological and sociological perspectives of medical professionalism

“…achieving professional competence in medicine). Thus, professionalism can be defined as the alignment of job-specific attitudes and behaviors with social expectations [ 12 ].…”

“…Medical anthropologists focus on the conflict and reconciliation between the individual and society, depicting the health-care system as a means of sociocultural adaptation [ 13 ]. The healthcare system is a social system and cultural model that evolves from conscious behavior with the purpose of promoting human health [ 12 ]. It involves beliefs, actions, and scientific knowledge necessary to achieve this aim, as well as the contributions of its members [ 12 ].…”

“…The healthcare system is a social system and cultural model that evolves from conscious behavior with the purpose of promoting human health [ 12 ]. It involves beliefs, actions, and scientific knowledge necessary to achieve this aim, as well as the contributions of its members [ 12 ]. Moreover, social anthropologists observe the individual and society in the same cultural context; this indicates that culture connects both agency and social structure [ 14 ].…”

“…That is, health professionals should not exploit their medical knowledge to build therapeutic relationships on false pretenses or for personal gain. Moreover, diseases are understood and treated differently from culture to culture and from region to region; each culture develops its own understanding of diseases over time, resulting in distinct treatment methods [ 12 ]. Some health professionals adopt prudent therapeutic approaches to long-term illnesses; if they put on a “professional mask,” they may shield themselves from the persistent demands made by patients, losing the opportunity to learn how patients experience their illness.…”