Medical power...

Michael Foucault, French philosopher, showed how all practitioners of the disciplines that make up the human sciences, from teachers to doctors to lawyers to psychoterapist, are part of the exercise of power, nameley the power to dictate and regulate what is valuable knowledge versus what is not, what is healthy versus what is sick, what is legal versus what is illegal, and what is sane versus what is insane.

In short, all of us professionals in the human sciences help define normal versus what is abnormal and our practices therefore imply a certain power over people's lives.

From this perspective, professionals must take responsibility for this power they have over people who are their clients constantly remain alert so as not to abuse this power and their clients' trust.