If Ethics in Psychiatry is the Answer - What was the Question? Exploring Social Space and the Role of Clinical Chaplaincy

Abstract

Over the last twenty years, ethics has been expanding in health care and chaplains comprise one of the key groups that provide ethics consultation services in the German arena of psychiatry. Like all professional actors in the practical arena, chaplains perform their role. Performance happens in relation to others who occupy positions that allow more or less exercise of power. This architecture of relational positioning and territory constitutes the social space. The question is, whether ethics in psychiatry can overcome the determination of positioning within the social space, and if yes: what is the scope of ethics? This article investigates into the role of chaplaincy as ethical agents (in Germany) on the basis of theoretical and empirical studies over the last 10 years. The meaning of social space in the field of psychiatry is explored by taking Pierre Bourdieu’s work into account. For illustration, a case study is given.