When a profession is seeking to consolidate its achievements and further its development, it can be useful to take an objective view of professions, their roles and development. In this, the first of two articles, the author looks at professions from historical and sociological perspectives. Essential characteristics of a profession are identified together with some of the difficulties experienced by emerging professions.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
HeraudB.Sociology in the professions. London: Open Books, 1979.
2.
MannM.Student encyclopaedia of sociology. London: Macmillan, 1983.
3.
FriedsonE.The profession of medicine. New York: Dodd Mead, 1970.
4.
DurkheimE.The division of labour in society. New York: Free Press, 1964.
