Exploring Professional Dynamics in Addiction Treatment: A Parsonian Perspective on Normative Culture and Action Orientation

This study examined the relevance of Talcott Parsons’ action theory in understanding the complex dynamics of values, norms, and professional action within multidisciplinary health contexts, specifically focusing on public services for addiction in northern Italy. Employing an ethnographic research strategy that included participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 28 professionals (physicians, nurses, social workers, and psychologists), this study identified five interconnected themes: symbolic and normative systems, formalized norms, value systems and normative models, alternatives of professional action (pattern variables), and action orientation. The findings reveal that Public Services for Addictions’ cultural system, comprising formalized norms, symbolic-normative patterns, shared values, rituals, and social practices, serve as an effective mode of control and shape professional action. The study also highlights the significance of the “equidistance in the listening” model, which encompasses values such as equality, professional respect, and unanimity. Furthermore, the analysis of pattern variables elucidates the decision-making processes underlying professional actions, while the examination of action orientations (structural, expressive, moral, and relational) reveals the motivational drivers that influence professional behavior. The predominance of relational orientation underscores the importance of teamwork and professional recognition in public services for addiction. The study concluded by emphasizing the enduring relevance of Parsons’ action theory in understanding the complex interplay of values, norms, and professional actions within multidisciplinary health contexts, thereby contributing to the development of a unified framework for cross-disciplinary collaboration in social control systems.