The Consequences of Moral Typecasting in Healthcare

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  • February 26, 2019
Creator
  • Katz, Julia
    • College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Abstract
  • The theory of dyadic morality proposes that moral scenarios consist of an agent, a capable doer who performs an action, and a patient, a vulnerable feeler who receives the action. Once one is typecast into one of these roles, it is difficult to consider their capacity for the opposite role. In healthcare, physicians are acting to improve the health of others, causing them to be cast as agents and medical patients as patients. Doctors are consequently perceived as having little patiency, causing neglect to their self-care and wellbeing. Study 1 asked participants to rate the perceived mind of several targets and found that physicians are perceived as significantly more agentic than the others. In Study 2, I found that, based on cultural stereotypes, doctors are perceived as significantly more agentic than patients, and patients are perceived as having significantly more patiency than physicians. In Study 3, participants rated the minds of people based on their hobbies and interests, and rated them again after learning they are physicians or medical patients. This study found that people are perceived as significantly more agentic if they are physicians, and significantly less agentic if they are medical patients. Lastly, Study 4 compared traits and abilities of doctors and restaurant managers, and found that doctors are perceived as more agentic than restaurant managers, despite facing similar career challenges. This research allows us to better understand perceptions of physicians and medical patients, and the resulting expectations and implications for people in these roles.
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  • In Copyright
Note
  • Funding: Tom and Elizabeth Long Excellence Fund for Honors
Advisor
  • Gray, Kurt
Degree
  • Bachelor of Science
Honors level
  • Honors
Degree granting institution
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Graduation year
  • 2018
Language
  • English
Date uploaded
  • April 25, 2018

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