Study on Doctor-Patient Identity Construction from the Perspective of Narrative Medicine

This study delves into the construction of identities and the linguistic strategies employed within the doctor-patient interactions through the lens of narrative medicine, with text analysis methodology utilized. The research findings unveil linguistic strategies employed by doctors and patients within the narrative medicine framework in shaping their identities during communication. In the establishment of their collective identity, doctors concentrate on minimizing hierarchical disparities with patients. While establishing relational identities, doctors display attentiveness to patients’ emotional states, primarily utilizing medium and low modality. They consciously avoid using imperatives with assertive tones, creating space for collaborative negotiation. When shaping personal identities, doctors cultivate a warm, intimate, and amicable persona, which helps to foster a sense of empathy and bridge the connection between doctors and patients. Patients, in turn, employ various linguistic forms to express respect towards doctors, thus contributing to the maintenance of a harmonious relational identity. Additionally, in cultivating their personal identities, patients may share personal experiences and express negative emotions to garner more attention from doctors. In summary, the communication between doctors and patients involves the construction of multiple identities, collaboratively fostering a harmonious doctor-patient relationship within the narrative medicine framework. The linguistic strategies employed by both parties contribute to the establishment and maintenance of these identities.