The art of touching: the culture of 'body work' in nursing
Titel:
The art of touching: the culture of 'body work' in nursing
Auteur:
Van Dongen, Els Elema, Riekje
Verschenen in:
Anthropology & medicine
Paginering:
Jaargang 8 (2001) nr. 2-3 pagina's 149-162
Jaar:
2001-08-01
Inhoud:
In this paper the authors argue that touch in nursing has a double meaning: on the one hand, it is a utilitarian and technical activity in which the bodies of nurses and patients are objects; on the other hand, touching is intimate, emotional and human and the bodies of both actors are subjects. The attention of studies on nursing and in nursing practices is often limited to the emotional reactions of patients. However, body care in nursing requires a constant listening to the body of both patients and nurses. Touching in nursing reflects cultural ideas, values and norms in a society. When the emotional response of nurses to touch is also taken into account, touching is developed into an art that re-creates good contacts and human relationships in a medical setting. In an ethnographic study carried out within a psychiatric setting, using methods of participant observation, the authors demonstrate how touch is related to age, gender, power, and social relationships which, in turn, influence emotional response. Such a response serves as a marker for determining if care is satisfying and how it is valued in the culture.
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