Background Emotional labour has been widely accepted in the literature as part of nursing work, however the contribution of emotional intelligence in the nursing context requires further study. Aim This paper aims to present an analysis of the literature on emotional intelligence and emotional labour, and consider the value of emotional intelligence to nursing. Method A literature search was undertaken using the CINAHL and MEDLINE databases. Search terms used were 'emotions', 'intelligence', 'emotions and intelligence' and 'emotional labour'. A hand-search of relevant journals and significant references added to the data. Results Emotional intelligence plays an important part in forming successful human relationships. Emotional labour is important in establishing therapeutic nurse-patient relationships but carries the risk of 'burnout' if prolonged or intense. To prevent this, nurses need to adopt strategies to protect their health. The potential value of emotional intelligence in this emotional work is an issue that still needs to be explored. Conclusions Analysis of the literature suggests that the modern demands of nursing draw on the skills of emotional intelligence to meet the needs of direct patient care and co-operative negotiations with the multidisciplinary team. The significance of this needs to be recognized in nurse education. The link between emotional intelligence and emotional labour is a fruitful area for further research. The potential benefits of gaining a better understanding of how these concepts interact is largely conjecture until we have more evidence. The prospect that there may be advantages to both nurses and patients is a motivating factor for future researchers.

Emotional intelligence in nursing work.

Background. Self-esteem is a major predictor of behaviour. Nurses with healthy self-esteem are likely to deliver therapeutic patient care, while those with low self-esteem are less likely to do so.

Aim. The aim of the 3-year study discussed here was to explore students’ self-esteem and how their experiences of preregistration education influenced its development over the period of the programme.

Research methods. Students participated in unstructured qualitative interviews at the beginning and end of their 3-year preregistration course and a grounded theory approach was used for data collection and analysis.

Findings. Bullying was found to be commonplace in the transition to becoming a nurse. Students were bullied and also witnessed patients being bullied by qualified nurses. The internalization of nursing norms meant that students then bullied others. Students’ self-esteem was low.

Conclusion. Bullying, and its effects on self-esteem, are perpetuated by practices within nursing. This situation will only be changed if nurses and educators transform their practice and the context in which bullying occurs. Otherwise, each new generation of nurses will continue to be socialized into negative practices which undermine both their own feelings of self-worth and standards of nursing care.

Bullying in the nursing profession

Purpose – This paper aims to evaluate the literature on emotional labour in the health‐care sector and the benefits and costs of such performance for both the carer and the patient. The aim is to develop a new health care model of emotional labour that has implications for health‐care management in terms of policy and education as well as for future research in this field.Design/methodology/approach – A new model to explain the antecedents and consequences of emotional labour within a health‐care setting is developed that builds on existing research.Findings – The model distinguishes between types of emotional conflict to which emotional labour‐inducing events in health‐care settings might lead. The negative and positive consequences, specific to health‐care settings, of emotional labour performance are also outlined.Practical implications – Emotional labour should be formally recognised as a key skill in facilitating the patient journey, with emotional skills being taught in innovative ways outside the f...

A health-care model of emotional labour: an evaluation of the literature and development of a model.

While it is claimed in the nursing literature that reflective thinking is the approach par excellence for learning and advancing the art and practice of nursing, few empirical studies have been undertaken in this area to date. Sense-Making, a qualitative research method, was utilized to obtain and analyse data from interviews with 10 registered nurses in order to study reflective thinking in actual nursing practice. Ten non-routine nursing situations were analysed for the presence of reflective thinking. Time-line interviews of the events resulted in a total of 59 micro-moments, each of which was explored in terms of the thinking processes utilized to make sense of the situation as well as the focus of their thought. 'Pre-perceptions' played an important part in how the respondents perceived their situation. Reflective thinking was extensively manifest, especially in moments of doubt and perplexity, and consisted of such cognitive activities as comparing and contrasting phenomena, recognizing patterns, categorizing perceptions, framing, and self-questioning in order to create meaning and understanding. Self-questioning was identified as a significant process within reflective thinking. By exploring and analysing the type of questions respondents were asking themselves, the study uncovered three hierarchical levels of reflective thinking. Respondents most often engaged in reflective thinking-for-action which centred on the here and now in order to act. Reflective thinking-for-evaluation focused on creating wholeness and contributed to the realization of multiple perceptions and multiple responses. Reflective thinking-for-critical-inquiry could not be demonstrated in the study sample. The findings of this study resulted in the development of a model of reflective thinking, which is discussed in terms of the implications for learning in nursing practice.

Exploring reflective thinking in nursing practice.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss how nursing can achieve evidence-based practice when a theory-practice gap exists in nursing today. The paper commences with an introduction to the concept of evidence-based practice and a discussion of the relationships between theory, practice and the theory-practice gap. An analysis of the two concepts will then be presented from within the four pillars of nursing, namely management, practice, research and education. The paper will conclude with a discussion of whether evidence-based practice can be achieved in view of the theory-practice gap.

How can we achieve evidence-based practice if we have a theory-practice gap in nursing today?

The theory/practice gap is a recurrent theme in the nursing literature. Numerous suggestions have been made about how this gap may be narrowed or even closed. However, there appears to have been little attempt to date to examine the ways in which research conducted into the hidden curriculum, and philosophical analysis of the concepts involved, might inform our understanding of the reasons for the existence of the theory/practice gap. This paper attempts to utilize some of the contributions from these areas of research, and as a result will argue that, while narrowing of the theory/practice gap may be a realistic goal, any attempt to close it completely will be doomed to failure.

Mind the theory/practice gap in nursing

The concepts of 'self' and 'person' are central to educational and therapeutic endeavours. This paper examines the emergence of 'self-awareness' as an explicit concern in the education of preregistration nurses. In particular, it questions the claims that specific experiential learning strategies are the most appropriate for promoting self-awareness in students, and that these strategies produce greater understanding of theory in students and give greater depth of meaning to theory for students. It argues that the long and complex history associated with the concepts of self, self-awareness and 'person' makes the unproblematic stance adopted towards them in the nursing literature untenable, and calls for a more rigorous and critical appraisal of experiential learning strategies commonly used to promote self-awareness.

The self in self-awareness

Background. In the Western tradition, drawing attention to the linguistic significance of analogy and metaphor can be traced back to the writings of the early Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle. More recently, philosophers of science have drawn attention to the role of analogy and metaphor in the development of scientific theory. Also, linguists and psychologists now suggest that, in addition to being distinctive uses of language with various rhetorical functions, metaphors constitute fundamental processes of thought with basic epistemological functions.



Aim.  Drawing on numerous sources from outside the nursing literature, this paper seeks to show the implications of current theory relating to analogy and metaphor for nursing and educational practice. It also seeks to demonstrate, using a practical example, how this theory can be applied to the teaching of qualitative research.



Method.  Using reflection on our experiences of using analogy and metaphor in teaching the qualitative research process on a Master's degree programme, we assess the potential for using analogy and metaphor as a teaching strategy. This experience is also used to explore and discuss the wider implications of the use of analogy and metaphor in health and educational practices.



Discussion.  While analogies and metaphors can help students make creative and imaginative links between existing conceptual frameworks and those associated with new knowledge, thereby facilitating its assimilation, the use of analogy and metaphor remains an under-researched area of nursing and educational practice. The cultural specificity of a metaphor does not necessarily prevent its usefulness cross culturally. The use of metaphor and analogy can also facilitate the injection of humour to a subject students frequently find ‘dry’ and intimidating.



Conclusion.  Analogies and metaphors are potentially powerful teaching and learning strategies. However, much is still not known about how they work at the cognitive level. Consequently, there is considerable scope for further research in this area in nurse education and clinical practice.

Teaching qualitative research: a metaphorical approach

Forensic Psychology: A Guide to Practice

This article aims to raise awareness about self-harming behaviours and suicide. It explores their complex nature, social context, why they have become a central issue in public health and the challenges they present. The assessment of patients who self-harm is discussed, together with psychological and social policy interventions that may be used.

Stephen H. Cook

Papers

Mind the theory/practice gap in nursing

The self in self-awareness

Teaching qualitative research: a metaphorical approach

Forensic Psychology: A Guide to Practice

Self-harm and suicide: care, interventions and policy.