[Unprotected helping behavior--social representations in nursing]

Considering current changes in health and nursing professions the emotional concepts ("social representations") of nurses regarding their working conditions are a very interesting question. This study investigates the imaginations of nurses about "unprotected help behaviour" ("ungeschutztes Hilfehandeln") as far as the attitude toward and the character of their work is concerned. Summing up the results one can see that these imaginations are connected with images of readiness for action, communication, performance and conscientiousness. However, to some extent these images are associated with feelings of unprotectedness and neurotic tendencies. It is possible that--in the past--these social representations have hindered the development of adequate self-confidence of the nursing profession.