ABSTRACT

Public relations scholars have argued that a body of knowledge, a code of ethics and a 'licence' to operate conferred by society are crucial for public relations to achieve professional status. In 2005, Van Ruler categorized theories of professionalism and professionalization into four models: knowledge, status, competition and personality. This chapter reconsiders what is meant by public relations professionalism by examining the way in which practitioners themselves define, interpret and enact the qualities or traits of a 'professional' worker. Evetts made the distinction between professionalism imposed 'from above' and that imposed 'from within'. She argued that not only is the discourse different but the effects on the 'professional' practitioner differ wildly too, which suggests the value in research into the lived experience of practitioners. Creeping managerialism and bureaucratic processes were given pithy titles to make creating audit trails more palatable. The centrality of the notion of 'keeping the client happy' was evident in other areas too.