Money Attitudes and What Doctors Do

There is a close connection between attitudes and actions, in the sense that attitudes lead to actions and actions shape attitudes. Adopting either the money-purpose attitude or the money-means attitude is conceptualized as navigating a moral gray area, with differently defined limits and boundaries of conduct based on discipline and a corresponding collective conscience. The practice of making a medical indication is the core analytical concept for understanding how doctors navigate this field of tension between practicing medicine and practicing money. Not having a sense of “how much is enough,” adopting a high level of self-centeredness by “getting the best out of it for oneself,” and making medical indications in line with the money-purpose attitude are discussed as important strategies for handling the tension created by the interplay between money and medicine. Additionally, self-deception is discussed as a cognitive process—an in-between state of consciousness and unconsciousness—for managing the choice between adopting the money-purpose or money-means attitude. By contrast, “giving back,” joy of work, knowledge and curiosity, “freedom of therapy,” making medical indications consistent with evidence-based guidelines, following the golden rule, and humanism are associated with the money-means attitude.