Professional Archetype Change: The Effects of Restricted Professional Autonomy

Abstract

One of the points on which researchers agree is the centrality of autonomy to professionalism. Moreover, a common conclusion in the studies of professions is that the profound changes in society over the last fifty years have threatened the autonomy and changed the archetype of professionalism. This paper contributes to the research on changes and continuities, challenges and opportunities for professionalism by discussing advantages and disadvantages of restricted professional autonomy. By describing the historical development in the Swedish and Canadian healthcare context, two major findings are discussed. First, although medical professionals have been subjected to certain constraints, they still appear to maintain a relatively high level of autonomy concerning the technical content of the work. Second, restricting professional autonomy is not negative merely due to the preservation of the professional archetype; rather, a «reasonable» limitation can be positive if professional autonomy is understood as a contract based on public trust.