Fully funded PhD opportunity: Power

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

	'Power' How power is exercised here ...

[The above is my addition, and is not an endorsement]

Power as a social determinant of health inequalities (supervised by Mhairi Mackenzie and Sharon Greenwood at the University of Glasgow and Dr Gerry McCartney, Head of the Scottish Public Health Observatory at Public Health Scotland).

This PhD aims to deliver academic and policy learning about how power shapes health and health inequalities at a societal level and methodological learning about collaborative autoethnography as a means of generating data from/with elite participants. The findings will be used to develop learning materials for those engaged in the health inequalities field and to contribute to Public Health Scotland’s ongoing work programme in understanding power as a fundamental driver of health inequalities (HI).

In its proposed focus and methodological approach, the PhD draws on three ideas within the health inequalities literature:

• Power is not properly understood as a determinant of health and HI – it appears as a relatively amorphous concept whose multiple mechanisms have not been sufficiently delineated; this means that potential policy levers remain obscured.
• Those working within HI themselves sit within power structures and, as such, are a group whose understanding of power is important to explore. They have opportunities to influence policy debates, experience barriers created through power structures and, it is argued, despite commitment to resolving the problem, themselves benefit from the so-called ‘poverty industry’.
• Researching concepts such as HI with professional elites is difficult when professionals have well-practiced repertoires of responses.

There is evidence that using non-standard research approaches in the field of HI can bring original perspectives to bear.

Using a novel methodological approach (collaborative autoethnography) the study will:

• Explore how academic/policy elites working within the HI field:

1. Understand the mechanisms through which different types of power impact on health outcomes and HI.
2. Reflect on and conceptualise the power which they deploy or otherwise benefit from within their own personal/professional lives.

• Generate learning about hidden and actionable levers of power relevant to HI. 
• Develop learning sets for use with professionals in the HI field.
• Generate learning about researching with elite participants.
  

https://www.sgsss.ac.uk/studentship/power-as-a-social-determinant-of-health/

Mhairi Mackenzie,
Professor of Public Policy,
Urban Studies, School of Social & Political Sciences, University of Glasgow,
Email: mhairi.mackenzie AT glasgow.ac.uk

AND:

Deputy Director (Studentships and External Communications) of the Scottish Graduate School Social Sciences: Doctoral Training Partnership
Sgoil Cheumnaichean Saidheans Sòisealta na h-Alba: Com-pàirteachas Trèanaidh Dotaireachd
University of Edinburgh


A selection of recently published papers:

Mackenzie, M., Skivington, K., Fergie, G. (2020) “The State They’re In”: Unpicking Fantasy Paradigms of Health Improvement Interventions as Tools for Addressing Health Inequalities. Social Science & Medicine. 256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113047

Mackenzie, M., Gannon, M., Stanley, N., Cosgrove, K., Feder, G. (2019) ‘You certainly don't go back to the doctor once you've been told, “I'll never understand women like you.”’ Seeking candidacy and structural competency in the dynamics of domestic abuse disclosure. Sociology of Health & Illness 41(6): 1159-1174. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9566.12893

Mackenzie, M., Bradley, L., Gannon, M., Cosgrove, K., Barton, D., Feder, G., Stanley (N) (2019) What might normalisation process theory bring to policy implementation studies? Learning lessons and uncovering questions through a case study of the profound implementation failure of a new policing policy’. Social Policy & Administration 53 (3): 449-463 DOI: 10.1111/spol.12467

Mackenzie, M., Hastings, A., Babbel, B., Simpson, S. and Watt, G. (2017) Proportionate universalism as a route to mitigating health inequalities? Exploring political, policy and practice uncertainties in times of austerity. In: Fee, D. and Kober-Smith, A. (eds.) Inequalities in the UK: New Discourses, Evolutions and Actions. Emerald Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781787144804,

Mackenzie, M., Collins, C., Connolly, J., Doyle, M. and McCartney, G. (2017) Working-class discourses of politics, policy and health: 'I don't smoke; don't drink. The only thing wrong with me is my health'. Policy and Politics, 45(2), pp. 231-249. (doi:10.1332/030557316X14534640177927)

Mackenzie, M., Hastings, A., Babbel, B., Simpson, S. and Watt, G. (2017) Tackling and mitigating health inequalities – policymakers and practitioners 'talk and draw' their theories. Social Policy and Administration, 51(1), pp. 151-170. (doi:10.1111/spol.12154)

My source: POHG

'Sociological Theory in Transition' (always ..?)

Conclusion: Sociology as a Skin Trade

In other writings (O'Neill, 1972, 1985) I have set out a rival conception of the embodied subject who suffers the hopes and defeats of what I have called 'sociology as a skin trade'. At the same time I began to renovate the imagery of society as a body-politic, to differentiate the levels of the bio-body, the productive body and the libidinal body as sites where human beings pursue the relevant knowledge and values of health, work and happiness. Each level of discourse requires he formulation of relevant technical knowledge (medicine, political economy, sociology and psychoanalysis) and each level has its own emancipatory discourse about health creativity and self-expression. Because each of these discursive interests is likely to be articulated by professional social scientists and therapists, it is necessary to require the institutionalization of mechanisms of political and ethical accountability to laypersons' common-sense knowledge and values regarding their bodies, their families, their work and their souls. Medical and sociological nemesis is not the result of a therapeutic conspiracy against society. It belongs to the radical technological a priori of Western knowledge whose ambition is fundamentally bio-technological. The sin of Adam and Eve was the best humankind could manage at the time. In today's laboratory Adam and Eve can be bypassed and life can be set in motion according to the best genetic formulas. Huge legal, ethical and sociological problems are simultaneously generated. And thus we step into a new 'crisis of opportunity` for which very few social scientists are prepared - whether by training or morals.' p.35.

INDIVIDUAL

|

     INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

psychoanalysis	body as a machine bio-technological body- bio-
sociology	-politic bio-politics of the population

'In concrete terms, starting in the seventeenth century, this power over life evolved in two basic forms ... One of these poles - the first to be formed, it seems - centered on the body as a machine: its disciplining, the optimisation of its capabilities, the extortion of its forces, the parallel increase of its usefulness and docility, its integration into systems of efficient and economic controls, all this was ensured by the procedures of power that characterised the disciplines: an anatomo-politics of the human body.
The second, formed somewhat later, focussed on the species body, the body imbued with the mechanics of life and serving as the basis of the biological processes: propagation, births and mortality, the level of health, life expectancy and longevity, with all the conditions that can cause them to vary. Their supervision was effected through an entire series of interventions and regulatory controls: a bio-politics of the  population. (Foucault, 1980a, p. 139; altered for my emphasis)' p.24.

'Bio-power regulates bodies individually, as in the clinical model. and collectively, as on the model of social medicine. The two strategies are combined to produce the most complete system of discipline ever known in the history of power. Disciplinary power works in hospitals. schools, prisons, armies, factories and bureaucracies. It is compatible with shifting vocabularies of rights, reform and welfare. It is intimate and collective; it is obeyed not because of its power over death but because of its power over life. It is this shift in emphasis that is the source of the expansion of bio-power whose corresponding apparatus we may call the therapeutic state.' p.25.

 

O’Neill, J. Sociological Nemesis: Parsons and Foucault on the Therapeutic Disciplines, Chapter 1 (pp.21-35). In. Wardell, M.L. and Turner, S. (Eds.). (1986) Sociological Theory in Transition. London: Allen & Unwin, Inc. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/phi_facpub/86

Previously: 'sociology' : 'power' : 'body'

Snakes & Ladders - Health & Safety: Blog Action Day - The Power of We

This year's theme for Blog Action Day is The Power of We. Andy Roberts over at DARnet posted about his not taking part given this particularly ambiguous title. I can see what Andy means. I'd signed-up for this year and wondered what to write; but then last Friday morning returning to work up the A59 at the Tickle Trout I was behind a van carrying two ladders...

I used to be a bit reckless in terms of heights, but I was kid then. Can you imagine the sudden lease of mental life from a row of terraced houses in Liverpool to fields and woods? Friends used to climb and go from tree-to-tree, in the summers our football pitches became dusty patches.

In my mid-teens helping out I thought nothing of staining the side of the dorma extension one-handed with about 30cms of standing clearance. In the decade from 1970 to the 1980s attitudes changed markedly as health and safety become firm buddies (see for example HSE). If the ladders were out to stretch their legs then my dad or younger brother were on station ensuring the ladder stayed put. There's the power of we keeping me safe.

The health and independence that the majority of us takes for granted seems to give individuals that childhood tree-to-tree disregard for safety.

H2CM central axis IND - GRP

I can illustrate what I mean; for example, look where this individual has got themselves! Of course, we often depend upon others to get to many places. Our very existence depends on others. 

Central to Hodges' model is a structure built from the key humanistic, that is the psychological and social perspectives of 'I' and 'We'.

This gives the model its spine. Everything else in health and social care follows from this axis. We need the social and political foundations of relationships, families, communities to take us to organisations, political movements, government and global governance. Previously, I pointed to the effort required to deliver person-centred care. We have to conceptually take the individual from the ascendant point in the model and put them at the model's center. Doing this collaboratively that is the communication that counts.

There is however, a responsibility that rests with the person. The Power of We is also not a given. It is possible for individuals to opt out of society, being a citizen is something for others. What difference can I make to political outcomes? There is the political debate about individual responsibility regarding life-style choices. If people are to achieve self-efficacy they need to climb down from that crow's nest and traverse the humanistic and mechanistic dimensions of life.

This responsibility is really telling though when an individual seeks to take, or maintain power for themselves within a nation. They trample on the freedoms, lives and choices of others. The people taking power back, doing so peacefully and gaining evidence of abuse of power that is the real power of we.

A room with a view from on high can still bring unique insights for individuals from which we can all learn:

"I know the whole world is watching right now and I wish the world could see what I can see. Sometimes you have to go up really high to understand how small you really are." Felix Baumgartner, 14 October 2012.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9607604/Skydiver-Felix-Baumgartner-attempts-to-break-sound-barrier-live.html 

Baumgartner image: BBC
Ladder brush c/o: http://www.trendyrobot.com/brushes/000343/popup.html

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" iii

Business and healthcare share an ongoing fascination with integration. A several decades long preoccupation, I now see as a legacy issue. One, that is set to continue: a clear objective but  tantalizingly always out of reach.

Not that I'm drawn to figures, but there's a double helix (figure 2.4, p.33) to illustrate the distinctions and dependencies that operate between:

INTEGRAL and MODULAR

products

VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL

industry

Pressure to 

DISINTEGRATE - INTEGRATE

Hopefully, you can see what is going on here - the attraction, the fit? Chapter 2 on Form, Method and Mastery presents the foundations of what is to follow, with chapter 3 on the Eight Archetypal Dilemmas. While the context is business the insights here are applicable generally:

Head - Heart*

Inside - Outside

Product - Market

Change - Stability

Content - Process

As in Hodges' model, a situated perspective is called for and in designing 2x2 matrices the author's outline individual and group activities. Their step 3, 'Catalogue' - creating an inventory of interesting and important aspects of the situation is mirrored in Hodges' model - care concepts, patient or carer priorities - and general problem solving. A key difference in the business context is that the quadrants are not pre-defined but must be 'Named'. The critical question, Lowy and Hood write (p.68), is proof: "Are there four real quadrants?"

The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix

A 'good' book makes / helps you think. In prompting the next blog post this is proof for me of a good book.

More to follow ('care architecture'?) ...

Here are the previous posts:

Q. What is Hodges' model? A. It is NOT a 2x2 matrix

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" i

 
Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" ii

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" iii

 

Alex Lowy, Phil Hood (2004) The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix: Using 2 x 2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 978-1-118-00879-9

With many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

*See also:

https://twitter.com/h2cm/status/1321177843863375883?s=20

Symposium on challenging the notion of evidence: bringing rights into research

Dear Colleagues,

Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters (SRHM) is organising a symposium in New Delhi, India and online on enhancing the ecosystem of rights and evidence in sexual and reproductive health.

SRHM Journal

The symposium will create space for dialogue on:

- Deconstructing the notion and hierarchy of evidence
- Pushing methodological boundaries in SRHR research
- Questioning what constitutes “evidence-based”, a "researcher", and what is “scientifically appropriate”
- Questioning the power in research

This event is part of SRHM's global and South Asia hub initiative on rights-based knowledge creation.

Date: Friday May 6, 2022

Time: 10:30-1:00pm GMT - 4:00-6:30pm New Delhi

Register to attend in person in New Delhi: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/challenging-the-notion-of-evidence-bringing-rights-into-research-tickets-324001506227

Register to attend online: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nB3Qxr-1Rs2e0blPb_J0JA

Please feel free to share with your network. We hope to see you at the event!

Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters
www.srhm.org | www.srhmjournal.org
Twitter: @SRHMJournal | FB: @SRHMJournal

 

INDIVIDUAL

|

 INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

|

GROUP

Mental Health Sexual and Reproductive Health Education - [Health] Literacy Questions: what constitutes “evidence-based”, a "researcher", and what is “scientifically appropriate”? Methodology SUBJECTIVITY - QUALITATIVE	Physical Health [Literacy] Sexual and Reproductive Health Hierarchy of Evidence Methods ... the Power in Research OBJECTIVITY - QUANTITATIVE
Society, Culture, Ethnographic Sexual and Reproductive Health	Human Rights Sexual and Reproductive Health

My source: HIFA

Power equation image: 

https://kaiserscience.wordpress.com/physics/word-energy-and-power/power/power-formula/

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" iv

Yes, it is a literal reading but if I didn't 'see' Lowy and Hood's discussion of "The team goes to work" (p.74) with symptoms identification and "Listen, listen, listen" (p.75) I'd miss a trick.

In healthcare the team really matters; in mental health care (especially) it is a professional and therapeutic* ... duty to listen; symptoms are not enough, we must seek signs too; what goes unspoken? A 2x2 matrix once created and agreed can also help identify positive and negative symptoms, in healthcare we differentiate this in several ways. The individual whether psychosis or cancer; and the group (socially and politically) through the impact of constraints and opportunities. There's a 'Health Magazine Marketplace Matrix' (p.76).

Strategy is central with tactical and operational factors in business and commerce and chapter 6 deals with strategic frameworks. The chapter starts: 

"Strategy is the art and science of competing more effectively than one's competitors." (p.91).

Below are two of the matrices described which I've placed within Hodges' model. Nursing is all about seeking, testing, trying, accepting, parking and respecting unexploited opportunities, not only 'in' the intra- interpersonal domain, but the other domains too. I will let you reflect upon the commodification of health and 'end of life'. 

individual

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group - population

Beyond Customer Led Matrix p.96.	Discontinuity and Life Cycle Matrix p.101

The social and political domains are obviously well represented throughout the book: value, customer, prosumer, civics and much more. An example is the Librarian Scenario Matrix which comprises of the dimensions - Locus of Concern  and Social Contract (p.119).

There's mention of architecture in the book which in a business context is understandable. I can not find where I read it but recently the addition of 'architecture' as in 'care architecture' represents a misuse? This is not architecture. This book and Hodges' model makes concepts the bricks, mortar, spans and splines of architecture. 

 

There is much more I could draw out. The Johari Window, individual frameworks - in which the quadrant's significance (size) varies, Myers-Briggs. In addition to a couple of references with the chapters, a notes section provides a full-list. The index is thorough and there are copyright notices for the many tables and figures.

A great book - just lacking one-other model, but I would say that!

Here are the previous posts:

Q. What is Hodges' model? A. It is NOT a 2x2 matrix

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" i

 
Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" ii

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" iii

'Proof' of the Four Quadrants

Alex Lowy, Phil Hood (2004) The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix: Using 2 x 2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN: 978-1-118-00879-9

With many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

 *All effective carers (formal and informal) are 'good listeners' and not just 'good listeners' they respect what is said and if presented with it: a silence.

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" ii

The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix

 

Once again I will start by referring to a previous post:

Q. What is Hodges' model? A. It is NOT a 2x2 matrix.

 

The structure of Hodges' model, the two axes immediately suggests opposition, dichotomy and thoughts of polarities. 

 

Page 30, table 2.2 Principles of 2 x 2 Mastery, includes:

"Opposition: 

Opposition between forces is either direct or complementary. Direct opposition is Hot versus Cold or On versus Off. Complementary opposition is Size versus Speed or Growth versus Profit. Recognize the nature of opposition, and work with it." p.30.

Of the others, the creative tension in health is manifold. Out of a professional foundation comes the therapeutic relationship nurse - patient and then the tension of trying to provide person-centred care that also has integrity in having the courage to advocate or engage independent advocacy and address the political issues that may (will) arise. Iteration here is a gift in that Hodges' model is situated and can address the multiplicity of contexts that are encountered in health, education and business too. Iteration for me implies travel, movement between the domains in search of a new perspective, (ad-)vantage point. Combined with integrity, this can mean going were you are not necessarily comfortable and perhaps seeking help. I like transcendence a great deal as it refers to "Learning requires unlearning". This points to the outcomes of interventions and application of knowledge, skills supported by Hodges' model with positive change. Transcendence can encompass liminality as described in therapy and education - threshold concepts in particular.

If you seek proof of complexity in healthcare, nursing and medicine look no further than a business book. The book is a marvellous reference text on 2x2 frameworks. In the introduction the authors stress the work is not intended to be read cover to cover. Business readers will be drawn to specific types of framework. Well referenced and researched the index is also comprehensive (with one framework missing (of course!). As the year of publication indicates the references and business examples that are outlined are dated, but they still deliver in readable and meaningful terms the utility of the framework described.

The layout and organisation of the chapters retains a 'current' appeal. I mention proof of complexity after reading:

 "Strategy is the art and science of competing more effectively than one's competitors." p.91.

In healthcare the 'competitors' may be the patients themselves (self-stigmatising, fearing the future, helplessness, hopelessness, fatigue). Competition may lie in other agencies depending on the politics of local health care delivery. Some may argue that the commodification of health is a creative tension not a political one. Also in the sense that 'we' are duty bound to heal, cure, treat you and have you care for yourself in future. Art and science are needed in print and book-loads at present as COVID-19 pushes out other diseases, illnesses that patients and families still face.

More to follow ...

 

Book review: "The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix" i

Alex Lowy, Phil Hood (2004) The Power of the 2 x 2 Matrix: Using 2 x 2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass ISBN: 978-1-118-00879-9

With many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.

Book: "The Elements of Power"

individual

|
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES             

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

group

logicical OR	the periodic table | mining | elements COBALT
the 'table' ... family communities	CHILD LABOUR   power

“A tale of rapacious colonialism, Cold War spy games, dazzling technical innovation, big business rivalry, big power geopolitics . . . Niarchos has produced an unflinching, landmark work on the nature of extractive capitalism.” —Patrick Radden Keefe, New York Times best-selling author of Empire of Pain and Say Nothing

Epic, shocking, and deeply reported, The Elements of Power tells the story of the war for the global supply of battery metals—essential for the decarbonization of our economies—and the terrible, bloody human cost of this badly misunderstood industry

'Congo is rich. Swaths of the war-torn African country lack basic infrastructure, and, after many decades of colonial occupation, its people are officially among the poorest in the world. But hidden beneath the soil are vast quantities of cobalt, lithium, copper, tin, tantalum, tungsten, and other treasures. Recently, this veritable periodic table of resources has become extremely valuable because these metals are essential for the global “energy transition”—the plan for wealthy nations to wean themselves off fossil fuels by shifting to sustainable forms of energy, such as solar and wind. The race to electrify the world’s economy has begun, and China has a considerable head start. From Indonesia to South America to Central Africa, Beijing has invested in mines and infrastructure for decades. But the U.S. has begun fighting back with massive investments of its own, as well as sanctions and disruptive tariffs. ...'

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709025/the-elements-of-power-by-nicolas-niarchos/

My source: James McConnachie, The dirty truth behind our 'clean energy' cars, saturday review, The Times, 17 January 2026, p.13.

Previously: 'mining' : 'corruption' : 'Africa' 

Editorial JRN. Coalition in leadership: Politics - the big picture and the big game

In the Journal of Research in Nursing, Veronica Bishop's editorial -

Coalition in leadership.
Politics - the big picture and the big game

- explores the state of the body politic in nursing. Bishop's focus is research, but the implications extend beyond the UK, to nursing globally. The body is indeed immersed in politics, but it seems the feet are dry and there is no one at home.


Considering that The Politics of Nursing by Jane Salvage was published c. 1991 political maturity is long overdue?

While the sexual politics of nursing have been campaigned for in the nursing media and vigilance is needed, it seems that a political birth for nursing needs to be induced. There is a political mentality there, there has to be. The future is too challenging, too fraught, too close to be mollified by appeals of "Anything for an easy life (and death)!."

Bishop begins with a quote:

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.
Theodore Hesburgh (1917–(2015))

If you are familiar with Hodges' model then you know what is coming. ... In quantitative (and qualitative) terms 25% of our deliberations using Hodges' model can be POLITICAL. This is not just the political dimensions of the patient, carer and the health and social care enterprise. The model includes the practitioner, but back to Bishop:

Having ‘power’ is a concept that sits uncomfortably with many nurses – it does not fit with the ideal of caring and many clinical nurses are quite open in their lack of regard for those in management, seeing them as power-seekers rather than power-movers. Clearly nurse leaders have in many cases failed to take their clinical colleagues with them in the drive to put nursing where it belongs, at the decision-making point that drives the agenda for health services, a point borne out by Stanley (2009).

How ironic that 'comfort' itself has been the subject of concept analysis and theorising in the nursing literature. If student nurses are exposed to the POLITICAL from the outset of their careers, then surely at the very least they will be more comfortable dealing with the guises and disguises of power?

Bishop refers to leadership and ownership and the two are frequently conjoined. The question of politics in nursing - in thought, practice, management and policy (research!) - makes me wonder ownership of what?

If the political domain is so frequently a vacant lot as far as nurses are concerned, then perhaps when we do put in an appearance we are not taken seriously. It really is a case of: what are you doing here?! As Bishop points out through -

Nurses are scientific. When they want to get to the core of a problem they always try to drill down. Yet politics are about the big picture. Nurses are agriculturalists in that they grow and nurture things but politicians are hunters – they’re always after the big game. It’s these kinds of differences nurses need to start to understand. (Cumberlege, 2007).

Nurses are there in the POLITICAL domain: they are constantly trying to complete the big picture.

... we were considering the best way for her [Baroness Cumberlege] to approach an interview the following day, and eventually, after we had viewed the uppermost issue of the day from every angle she said ‘Oh, nursing is so big!’. How right she was – there is hardly any aspect of life that it does not overlap or impinge on, so considering the big picture is a mammoth task! And again, she was right, we need leaders who have clarity and energy, and can cut through the detail and focus on the professional entity.

Yes, the big 'P'-icture is a mammoth task, hence the need to uncover, compose and frame it early. POLITICS is not just a matter of whistle blowing, industrial relations, policy, the system, us-and-them, banner headlines. ...

Politics is much more and crucial to research as Bishop attests. So, if our students do not reflect upon and articulate the politics of health: ill-health, well-being, equality and inequality, wealth and poverty ... then that professional entity will be a political ghost. A ghost playing a little game in an alien and alienating domain.

Veronica Bishop (2010) Coalition in leadership. Politics - the big picture and the big game, Journal of Research in Nursing; 15; 291.
DOI: 10.1177/1744987110374692

[Updated] AI Chat: Are the domains of Hodges' model comparable?

In drafting a future post: 'The Sciences: points, lines, angles and perspectives on domains', I thought I would ask Ecosia's AI Chat a related question, here is the (quick) prompt and reply:

PROMPT: 
In Hodges' model there are four care, or knowledge domains. The four domains are the sciences, sociology, political, and intrapersonal – interpersonal domain. In terms of potential content are these domains comparable, or is there an essential asymmetry? Please provide sources and references.

(I have saved the prompt for future reference and refinement.)

RESPONSE: [updated 21st June 2026]

Hodges’ model (also known as the Health Career Model or h2cm) is a conceptual framework that organizes knowledge and care into four quadrants, each representing a distinct domain of human experience and knowledge. These domains are:

1. Sciences (empirical, biological, and physical sciences)
2. Sociology (social structures, relationships, and community)
3. Political (power, policy, governance, and resource allocation)
4. Intrapersonal – Interpersonal (psychological, emotional, and relational aspects of the self and others)

Are the Four Domains Comparable or Asymmetrical?

The four domains in Hodges’ model are not strictly symmetrical in terms of their content, scope, or application. While they are presented as equal in structure (each occupying one quadrant of the model), their potential content, theoretical foundations, and practical implications can vary significantly. Here’s why:

1. Differences in Scope and Focus

• Sciences (Quadrant 1):
  This quadrant focuses on empirical, measurable, and biological aspects of health and care, such as anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology. Its content is often highly specialized, technical, and evidence-based, rooted in natural sciences like biology and chemistry.

  • Example: The role of hormones in stress response or the pathophysiology of diabetes.

• Sociology (Quadrant 2):
  This quadrant addresses social structures, culture, and community dynamics. Its content is broader and more interpretive, drawing from sociology, anthropology, and social psychology.

  • Example: The impact of socioeconomic status on health outcomes or the role of family support in recovery.

• Political (Quadrant 3):
  This quadrant examines power, policy, governance, and resource distribution. Its content is highly contextual and often contested, influenced by political science, economics, and public policy.

  • Example: The effect of healthcare policies on access to services or the role of advocacy in shaping health priorities.

• Intrapersonal – Interpersonal (Quadrant 4):
  This quadrant focuses on individual psychology, emotions, and relationships. Its content is highly subjective and variable, drawing from psychology, psychotherapy, and ethics.

  • Example: A patient’s personal beliefs about illness or the dynamics of a therapeutic relationship.

2. Differences in Methodology

• Sciences and Political domains often rely on quantitative methods (e.g., experiments, statistical analysis, policy evaluations).
• Sociology and Intrapersonal domains frequently use qualitative methods (e.g., interviews, case studies, ethnography).
• This methodological diversity can create asymmetry in how knowledge is generated, validated, and applied.

3. Differences in Practical Application

• Sciences and Political domains  are often system-level and influence macro-level decisions (e.g., clinical guidelines, healthcare policies).
• Sociology and Intrapersonal domains are more individual- or community-level, focusing on personalized care, cultural competence, and therapeutic relationships.
• This can lead to asymmetry in impact, where some domains (e.g., Political) shape broad systems, while others (e.g., Intrapersonal) focus on direct human experience.

4. Theoretical Foundations

• The Sciences and Political domains are grounded in positivist and structuralist theories, emphasizing objectivity and external reality.
• The Sociology and Intrapersonal domains are influenced by interpretivist and constructivist theories, emphasizing subjectivity and lived experience.
• This theoretical diversity can create asymmetry in how knowledge is perceived and valued in different contexts.

Is There an Essential Asymmetry?

Yes, there is an essential asymmetry in the potential content of the four domains. While the model presents them as equal in structure, their content, methods, applications, and theoretical foundations are not interchangeable. The domains complement each other but serve different purposes in understanding and delivering care.

Sources and References

1. Conceptual Overview of Hodges’ Model:

   • Hodges’ Model: A Cognitive Periplus for - WikiEducator (PDF)
   • Hodges’ Model: Welcome to the QUAD
   • Hodges’ Health Care Model as a Framework for Quality

2. Theoretical Foundations:

   • Hodges’ Health Career Model and its role and potential application
   • Hodges’ model: the Sustainable Development Goals and public health

3. Discussions on Asymmetry and Complementarity:

   • The model’s holistic intent is emphasized in Hodges’ Health Care Model as a Framework for Quality, but its quadrants are not identical in content or application.
   • The differences in methodology and scope are discussed in Hodges’ Health Career Model and its role and potential application.

Summary Table: Asymmetry in Hodges’ Model Domains

Domain	Content Focus	Methodology	Theoretical Foundation	Level of Application
Sciences	Biological, empirical data	Quantitative	Positivist	Macro (systems, clinical)
Sociology	Social structures, community	Qualitative/Quantitative	Interpretivist, Structuralist	Meso (groups, communities)
Political	Power, policy, governance	Quantitative/Qualitative	Structuralist, Critical Theory	Macro (systems, policy)
Intrapersonal-Interpersonal	Psychology, emotions, relationships	Qualitative	Constructivist, Humanistic	Micro (individual, relational)

PROMPT: 
In Hodges' model there are four care, or knowledge domains. The four domains are the sciences, sociology, political, and intrapersonal – interpersonal domain. In terms of potential content are these domains comparable, or is there an essential asymmetry?

 

In Hodges’ model, the four care (or knowledge) domains are:

1. Sciences (biological, physiological)
2. Sociology (social, cultural, environmental)
3. Political (legal, policy, organizational)
4. Intrapersonal – Interpersonal (psychological, emotional, relational)

These domains are not strictly comparable in terms of content, scope, or function. Instead, they represent complementary perspectives that together form a holistic framework for understanding human health, well-being, and care. Here’s why there is an essential asymmetry between them:

1. Scope and Focus

• Sciences and Sociology are broad, well-established academic disciplines with extensive theoretical and empirical foundations. They provide generalizable knowledge about biological processes and social systems.
• Political is more narrowly focused on power structures, governance, and resource allocation. While critical for systemic change, it is less about individual experience and more about collective frameworks.
• Intrapersonal – Interpersonal is deeply personal and subjective, focusing on individual psychology, emotions, and relationships. It is less about universal laws and more about unique, context-dependent experiences.

This makes the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain inherently asymmetrical compared to the others, as it deals with subjectivity and variability rather than objective or structural phenomena.

2. Epistemological Differences

• Sciences, Sociology, and Political domains rely on external observation, measurement, and analysis. They are rooted in positivist or structuralist traditions, where knowledge is often generalized.
• Intrapersonal – Interpersonal is rooted in interpretivist and phenomenological traditions, where knowledge is co-created through subjective experience and dialogue. It resists universal generalization.

This creates a fundamental asymmetry in how knowledge is produced and validated across the domains.

3. Practical Application in Care

• The Sciences, Sociology, and Political domains provide frameworks for action (e.g., medical treatments, social policies, legal rights). They are instrumental in shaping systems and interventions.
• The Intrapersonal – Interpersonal domain is transformative—it shapes how individuals perceive, interpret, and respond to care. It is the domain where meaning is made and agency is exercised.

This means the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain is not just another “content area” but a lens through which all other domains are experienced and integrated.

4. Hierarchy of Integration

While the domains are conceptually equal in Hodges’ model, in practice, the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain often acts as the nexus where the other domains intersect. For example:

• A scientific understanding of depression (e.g., serotonin levels) must be interpreted through the intrapersonal experience of the individual.
• A sociological analysis of healthcare disparities must be understood through the political structures that enable or inhibit change.
• A political decision about resource allocation must be filtered through intrapersonal values and priorities.

This integrative role makes the intrapersonal-interpersonal domain asymmetrical in function, even if not in formal status.

Conclusion: Essential Asymmetry

The four domains are not comparable in content or function. Instead:

• The Sciences, Sociology, and Political domains provide structural and systemic knowledge.
• The Intrapersonal – Interpersonal domain provides subjective and relational knowledge, which is essential for meaning-making and agency.

The asymmetry arises from the epistemological and practical differences between objective/systemic knowledge and subjective/experiential knowledge. Hodges’ model emphasizes that all domains are necessary, but they operate in fundamentally different ways.

DATA POWER 2024

"Exciting news: 

The fifth #DataPower Conference will take place from 4th to 6th September '24 - in Bangalore (India), Graz (Austria) and online.

Conference theme: Situating Data Practices Beyond Data Universalism.
Deadline: 19th Jan '24"

https://datapowerconference.org/data-power-2024/about-2024

INDIVIDUAL

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     INTERPERSONAL    :     SCIENCES               

HUMANISTIC --------------------------------------  MECHANISTIC      

SOCIOLOGY  :   POLITICAL 

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GROUP

data, AI anxiety psychological security my privacy knowledge what, how we know emotional well-being literacies	DATA numeric - quantified physical access/security surveillance freedomS machine algorithmic
humanity social - society cultural life civil society wisdom data-related PRACTICES how to envisage a just data society? inequality - discrimination	control governments security agencies economics - politics citizenship rights - injustices private corporations political security POWER

  My source:
https://x.com/juliane_jarke/status/1720118890234106296?s=20