Time for clients: temporal aspects of community psychiatric nursing

Abstract

Time is an integral element in all actions, organizations and relationships. Temporality has an effect on people's lives, and in turn people manipulate temporality as a means of imposing social order. From a semiotic perspective the amount of time spent on an action and the timing of its conveys messages about such things as importance and status. This holds equally true of organizations as well as individuals. This paper concentrates on a community psychiatric nursing department, its staff and clients. Sections of speech taken from interviews with nurses and clients are presented and discussed from the perspective of temporality to show how relationships are managed on an individual level and how work is organized around different client groups at an organizational level.

A holistic approach to the promotion of older hospital patients’ health

“…This includes the perception of a situation, relation with other people in a situation and how they experience their own position in the situation. As Gibson (1994) stated: ‘Time is an integral element in all actions, organizations and relationships’ (p. 110). The same applies from a semiotic perspective: ‘The amount of time spent on an action and the timing of it conveys messages about such things as importance and status’ (Gibson 1994, p. 110).…”

“…People experiencing waiting might also feel that they are neglected and are less worthy as persons. As Richman (1983) in Gibson (1994) summarized it:…”

Time and Confinement: Towards a Common Sense of Socio‐temporality in a Special Hospital

“…The importance of ownership of the timetable is an issue that should not be overlooked, Gibson (1994) states that 'taking possession of time equates with taking control of the situation'. A patient who cannot express a temporal influence is on the one hand disorganised, yet on exerting a mastery he/she can encourage a psychiatric interpretation of illness.…”

“…As Gibson (1994) points out, 'temporality has an effect on peoples lives, and in turn people manipulate temporality as a means of imposing social order'. In attempts to attain this type of time, the patient runs the risk of being perceived as uncooperative.…”

Temporal Reference Frameworks and Nurses' Work Organization

“…Those that have present challenges, such as Jones (2001), in applying theory derivation to Adam's (1995) work and exploring temporality, timing and tempo in nursing practice. Other research (Gibson, 1994;Walsh, 1997), while not directly examining time, found that in the course of the Time & Society copyright © 2003 SAGE (London, Thousand Oaks, CA and New Delhi) VOL. 12 No.…”