ABSTRACT
I have worked in the field of occupational health nursing for almost 15 years. As part of my work in the hospital sector, I had the opportunity to observe the effects of an unhealthy work environment on employees. I saw nurses burn out and leave the profession. I also witnessed how workload, role ambiguity and competition can lead to conflict and aggression. These observations combined with the experience I acquired working in health care institutions have stimulated my interest in exploring the issue of workplace aggression and more specifically intra and inter professional aggression. Instinctively, I perceived a relationship between power, power games and aggression. My readings of Michel Foucault’s work, particularly Discipline and Punish and The Subject and Power, allowed me to better understand how power is insidious and everywhere and the need to question “normal” organizational dynamics. As a result, it is increasingly important to address the issue of power and challenge the status quo when dealing with intra/inter professional aggression.
