Power in client and nurse-therapist relationships

Social theory provided the perspective for this exploration of power as it relates to the nurse/client relationship. As the authors agree with Smith and Vetter (1982) that interactions are a legitimate basis for understanding behavior, we, have, therefore, presented actual nurse/client relationships as empirical cases to examine and to apply theory. These six vignettes provide examples of various responses of patients and therapists to power in therapeutic relationships. Although each situation differs in some respects, there are similarities regarding power as a phenomenon. Dependence and sanctions, the objective features of power, are present. On analyzing the audiotapes and process notes from the individual therapy of clients and nurses who were beginning therapists enrolled in a graduate psychiatric nursing program, it becomes clear that the therapists got involved in power struggles with their clients or used exploitive power when they, themselves, felt vulnerable or angry because they perceived their expert power to be threatened. It also becomes clear that the nurse-therapists were not always accustomed to, or comfortable with, an autonomous role. They, therefore, sometimes failed to use their legitimate powers. However, once they reviewed their interactions within a conceptual framework of power, and discussed these issues with clinical and academic supervisors, they could examine causes, characteristics, and potential changes in their reactions to their clients.