Years ago, I attended a great seminar on the subject of stress, given by a speaker who was a Psychologist. The Psychologist made a statement that forever changed my perspective on Patients.
He said, "All Patients are Type C and all Type C's are victims".
The speaker illustrated this point by saying that the Patients are victims of an accident, illness or disease, whether due to a smite by the hands of The Fates, or because of their own self-destructive actions.
He encouraged us to start viewing all the Patients that we serve as victims in order to raise our consciousness in understanding their responses to their situation. With that understanding, we would be able to better deal with their behavior.
We easily feel empathy when an injury affects a Type C child, yet feel some apathy when a Type C adult suffers the ramifications of their imprudent inaction or self-destructive actions. Both or either could be our Patient, and it is our duty to provide quality care in an objective manner.
Providing care in an objective manner isn't easy when our emotions are triggered. We will easily kiss the boo-boo if a child, yet feel righteousness in chastising the behavior of a treatment non-compliment adult.
These are thoughts that I wanted to express and will pause before continuing.
In the meantime, please share your thoughts, if you will.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
7 minutes ago, Curious1997 said:
What's your opinion about religion conflicting with science? Is medicine, science?
Religion doesn't need to conflict with science. Science has to stand up to rigorous scrutiny before being universally accepted and is ever-evolving.
Religion is one's own business. One can allow oneself to suspend logic and find ways to think about things that bring personal peace and comfort. Like-minded individuals can join each other if it suits them.
I'm not a proponent of proselytizers, missionaries or evangelists. Teaching "creationism" as science is just plain cuckoo.
I find it interesting that a lot of the current narratives have taken on the fervour of religion. Logic is suspended and dissenters are reviled. It doesn't seem to matter whether you find a god to worship or a devil to denounce.
Human beings seem drawn to various forms of groupthink.
Religion doesn't need to conflict with science. Science has to stand up to rigorous scrutiny before being universally accepted and is ever-evolving.
Religion is one's own business. One can allow oneself to suspend logic and find ways to think about things that bring personal peace and comfort. Like-minded individuals can join each other if it suits them.
I'm not a proponent of proselytizers, missionaries or evangelists. Teaching "creationism" as science is just plain cuckoo.
I find it interesting that a lot of the current narratives have taken on the fervour of religion. Logic is suspended and dissenters are reviled. It doesn't seem to matter whether you find a god to worship or a devil to denounce.
Human beings seem drawn to various forms of groupthink.
Very well said! I don't care if anyone's religious myself. As the shoe fits is my motto, except when it's conflicting with the situation and I've found that it's difficult for religious people to be objective.
What I like about science propelled people is the mind conditioning for scepticism. We question things! It helps us in all areas of our lives to be more discriminating. Religion is the opposite and you frequently find that they are the ones making wrong choices that's affecting all of our lives but doubling down on their innane decisions. Flat world, Catholics! Anti Vaxxers! BUT IT'S the HYPOCRISY that gets me!
They embrace the science of the world like cell phones, GPS and convection ovens etc etc and in the same breath can easily dismiss or rationalize the world is 7000 years old, dinosaurs never existed and evolution isn't real. They chafe against govt and legislation and embrace free choices but accept the confines of religion and its prison.
The one human trait I find abhorrent is the inability to be humble enough to accept when you are ignorant! Humility is the cornerstone of every single preceeding GOOD TRAITS like consideration and gratitude! Religious people project a patina of consideration until you disagree with them! And they totally lack gratitude!
It's God's will and in his hands! Despite, knock and it shall be opened, seek and ye shall find. Hypocrisy, is strong within them, Obi-Wan says!
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
1 hour ago, Curious1997 said:
Religious people project a patina of consideration until you disagree with them! And they totally lack gratitude!
I'm certainly familiar with the kind of people you are describing. However, I know deeply religious people who don't wear it on their sleeves, but strive daily to live their tenets, so I can't dismiss religion out of hand.
I am seeing haunting parallels among secular people, who purport to embrace every do-gooder cause. They don't hesitate to chide others yet live their own lives in less than exemplary ways.
Like spouting about climate change and the evils of capitalism but buying individual size water bottles, flying on private jets, shopping as entertainment, requiring fresh towels daily in hotels, etc. Self-righteous pontificating is always easier than adjusting one's own personal behaviours, religious or secular.
Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.
45 minutes ago, Davey Do said:
Whereas I find it dull, boring, repetitive and predictable, as it is a modus operandi.
The pattern: Bring up the subject of religion, ask loaded questions, tout science, and berate those who believe otherwise.
Or bring up current events, make groupthink statements that you can't support, and berate the person who doesn't agree with you. If you're too polite to berate, then abruptly shut down the conversation that you started.
You're right. It is boring and predictable. I love a good exchange of ideas on any subject. Check out a conversation between Jordan Peterson and Stephen Fry. They fundamentally disagree on many things but had a respectful and engaging discussion. Youtube.
Viewing all Patients as victims gave me a different perspective on their status and how I approached them.
I think on this thread we're describing internal processes that resonated with us individually that allowed us to get to a personally healthy place as far as how we feel about patients. It's just different mental gymnastics that we do based on our individual make-ups.
When I was working through this I was coming from a point where seeing people as victims ("having the worst day of their life" as we're taught in school) wasn't ringing particularly true sometimes, and I also felt that it had some pitfalls as far as turning the nurse into the bad guy when s/he didn't appear to have enough empathy for the victim/person having the worst day of their life. Ex: Patient is abusive or aggressive, etc. Nurse has been taught that this person only acts this way because of their terrible situation. Nurse is called upon to display great empathy, which can amount to the appearance of excusing the behavior. Nurse secretly feels like 2nd victim because abuse and aggression doesn't need to be enabled and tolerated no matter what the situation is. Etc., etc.
But...back to first paragraph. We all have our ways of thinking about things that help us engage in the most holistic/therapeutic way we can.
TriciaJ, RN
4,328 Posts
Religion doesn't need to conflict with science. Science has to stand up to rigorous scrutiny before being universally accepted and is ever-evolving.
Religion is one's own business. One can allow oneself to suspend logic and find ways to think about things that bring personal peace and comfort. Like-minded individuals can join each other if it suits them.
I'm not a proponent of proselytizers, missionaries or evangelists. Teaching "creationism" as science is just plain cuckoo.
I find it interesting that a lot of the current narratives have taken on the fervour of religion. Logic is suspended and dissenters are reviled. It doesn't seem to matter whether you find a god to worship or a devil to denounce.
Human beings seem drawn to various forms of groupthink.