title: An analysis of caring: attributions, contributions and resolutions.
abstract: This paper presents a study of the particular dynamics within hospitals that act as counterproductive forces to caring. To this end, the insights revealed by Isabel Menzies Lyth, following her observations of a large London teaching hospital, will be explored. She argues that hospitals are environments conducive to the erection of primitive social defence systems that generate internal conflict and persecution anxiety within its staff. These social defence systems, in turn, militate against efforts directed towards caring. This results in feelings of guilt, depression and dependency that rapidly establish a negative cycle of affects. Such negative affections, once set in train, are difficult to terminate and transform into a positive cycle of affections. Following this analysis, it will be argued that the hospital environment is unequal to the task of caring for the caregivers because it is permeated with ontological, spiritual and moral anxiety, all of which act as serious impediments to the caring enterprise.
authors.affiliation: School of Humanities, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Holden
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003858:Dependency, Psychological; D004506:Education, Nursing / Q000592:standards; D004532:Ego; D004645:Empathy; D005086:Existentialism; D006272:Health Facility Environment / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012380:Role; D012649:Self Concept