Characteristics of physicians’ speech behavior when communicating with patients of different social status

This article analises the specifics of physicians’ speech behaviour when interacting with patients of varying social status. The author examines key concepts that reveal the essence and content of the problem under study, namely, «speech behaviour» and «social status», based on research approaches developed in such disciplines as sociolinguistics, pragmalinguistics, and psycholinguistics.

Speech behaviour, as a multicomponent concept, is defined by the author as the process of selecting the most optimal, socially correct speech utterance, influenced, on the one hand, by the social attitudes of the particular group in which the individual lives, and, on the other, by the unconscious aspects of their personality structure.

Communicative interaction between physicians and patients pursues a single goal: the provision of medical care. Meanwhile, the effectiveness of this service depends not only on the professional skills of the medical professional but also on their ability to tailor their speech behaviour to the patientэs social status. The author concludes that, in their professional activities, physicians should primarily focus on markers of an individual’s social status, such as gender, age, and education level. The latter are significant not only for the physician but also for patients, many of whom prefer qualified specialists of their own gender with extensive medical experience.

The author notes the importance of reinforcing verbal communication with nonverbal means, which enables the physician to comprehensively form a clinical picture and accurately diagnose the disease, especially when there is a language barrier between the physician and the patient.

Medical professionals build verbal communication with patients primarily within the framework of two main models of interpersonal interaction: authoritarian and collegial. The main difference between these models is that the former emphasizes subject-object relationships, while the latter emphasizes subject-subject relationships between the physician and the patient. The similarity between these models lies in the physician's dominant role in shaping verbal communication with the patient.

By structuring interactions with patients based on their social status, medical professionals ensure that their individual characteristics, needs, and wishes are taken into account when developing a treatment plan. Effective verbal communication facilitates understanding between the physician and the patient and is the key to the effectiveness of treatment.

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