JOHANNA SHAPIRO, Ph.D., YVES TALBOT, M.D.
The dilemma of role integration between family physicians and behavioral scientists has been considered from a variety of perspectives. This article chooses to explore aspects of this relationship metaphorically through reference to a dramatic play, Six Characters in Search of an Author, by the expressionist playwright, Luigi Pirandello. Using Schutz’s FIRO-B model, which provides an analytical framework for understanding both social and professional relations, this approach illuminates issues of identity, belonging, territoriality, control, creativity, and team-building, which form the dynamic core of interactions between physician and behavioral scientist.