Understanding professions and professionals in the context of values

Like the concepts 'value' and 'values', terms like profession, professional and professionalism can be variously understood. In this chapter the authors first look more closely at these words, their multiple meanings, how they are defined, and the way they are used in everyday life. Then they present, briefly, two very different approaches to understanding the professions and professional activity. One is grounded in social science. It highlights organisational and structural aspects of understanding the social evolution and functioning of professions as institutions. The other is based in philosophy. Trait theories were developed by comparison of common-sense notions of professions (derived from the generally recognised professions of medicine and law) with the assumed characteristics of other occupations. The social science commentaries and critiques discussed have tended towards understanding professional organisational structures and issues such as power, dominance, socio-historical context and evolution.