Professionalism and the Poor--Structural Effects and Professional Behavior.

The efforts of occupational groups to raise their professional status resembles many of the activities of social movements. In this paper occupational group striving viewed as a social movement is demonstrated as being a significant factor in the development of negative orientations toward impoverished or lower class clients. The research centered on investigations of the orientations and behaviors of three occupational groupings within public health—physicians, nurses and sanitarians. The hypothesis that members of highly striving occupational groups would be significantly more negative in their orientations toward the poor or the lower class client was verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]