The Role of Professional Mythologies in the Worldview of Medical Workers

In modern healthcare, the existence of professional mythologemes is a particularly paradoxical phenomenon, given that the medical profession is traditionally associated with a rational worldview built on scientific knowledge and technological advances. However, under conditions of uncertainty, high psycho-emotional stress, and increased risk to the patients’ lives healthcare workers often resort to irrational beliefs and associated practices. The analysis of such phenomena is relevant because such beliefs influence widespread individual rituals in healthcare. The aim of this study is to determine the role and significance of professional mythologemes in the structure of healthcare workers' worldview and professional practice. The objectives of this study included: 1) a historical and retrospective analysis of studies devoted to mythological beliefs in medical practice; 2) an examination of the mythological narratives of healthcare workers based on interviews across multiple medical specialties; 3) a description of the narrative (plot) structure of medical mythologemes; 4) determining the role of the mythological component in the structure of healthcare workers' professional worldviews. The study's materials consisted of interviews with healthcare professionals representing various specialties. The participants were physicians and nurses whose specialties involve a high risk to patients' lives, which is associated with significant psycho-emotional stress. A phenomenological interview method was used to collect empirical data. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is a phenomenological approach, supplemented by elements of interpretive sociology. The study confirmed the hypothesis that the use of mythologemes reflects physicians' desire to achieve the primary goal of their professional activity — ensuring patients’ health and well-being. Mythological themes in medical professional activities have been analyzed since the late 19th century, and contemporary research focuses on their impact on physicians and patients during care. Interviews with medical workers identified key narratives of medical mythology, which help psychologically manage irrational experiences associated with uncontrollable medical risks, primarily risks to patients’ lives and situations where required care exceeds medical personnel’s capacities. The mythological basis of these narratives reflects an archaic worldview, including chthonic motifs, as well as doppelganger and lycanthropy plots. The influence of mythology on professional doctors' behavior is specific and relatively limited: mythological images and plots emerge when rational and logical approaches are insufficient to manage risk. Thus, medical mythology forms a distinct layer of meaning within healthcare workers’ professional worldview and is used in practice to gain control over situations that exceed the scope of professional knowledge, retaining its archaic roots while helping solve real-world problems.

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