Professional identity of Hungarian psychiatrist. Experiences of a study

Abstract

A main determinant of professional identity is the integrity of the discipline. The complexity of psychiatry in biological, psychological and sociological aspects is a typical instance of the necessity for integration. Based on the bio-psycho-social dimensions and on their opinion about acceptance of psychiatry, we explored the professional identities of physicians working in Hungarian contemporary psychiatry. Voluntary, anonymous responses were collected by using a 10-point evaluation scale on professional attitude, appreciation of psychiatry from lay society and other medical professions, and the importance of biology, psychology and sociology within psychiatry. The 228 respondents showed a highly significant effect of basic sciences: biology was the most relevant followed by psychology and sociology. Specialists in psychiatry (n = 171) showed a more marked preference for biology than the trainees, while specialists in psychotherapy (n = 74) considered the psychological component significantly more important than other respondents. The public acceptance of psychiatry was low as compared with other medical professions. The consistency between self-image and profession shows that the multidimensionality of psychiatry is not primarily an individual challenge. The impact on identity shows the key importance of education. Improving the prestige of psychiatry requires keeping our professional identity up-to-date, communicating with physicians with different preferences, and cooperating with other medical professions. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(2): 58-63.