Intimate Strangers: Contradictions of Relating from the Perspectives of Hospital Chaplains

• In Event: That's the Spirit: Motivation and Spirituality in the Workplace

Abstract

The focus of this study was to understand, through in-depth interviews, emotions and the role they play in the occupation of hospital chaplaincy. I conducted an interpretive investigation with 11chaplains. I then analyzed data using Baxter and Montgomery’s relational dialectics as a theoretical framework. One primary dialectic emerged from the data: connection-disconnection. Discussion as to how chaplains use communication to manage this contradiction is provided, as well as implications for future research.

Author

• Paige Toller, University of Nebraska, Omaha