Psychological aspects of the medical situation are finding in the doctor-patient relationship a significant way of expression. The last years some models have been formulated, offering a general framework to categorise variations in doctorpatient relationship patterns, considered as psychological processes.
Such a model can be based on the elements of communicative interaction in the doctor-patient meeting. But the relationship can also be considered as a form of experience largely independent of the direct interaction, doctor and patient /laving for each other some signification exceeding their real presence or contact.
In the latter perspective, models are copied from other disciplines concerned with interpersonal reletion patterns. These are the models of 'human encounter' and 'transference' used in psychotherapy, whereas the concepts of 'role' and 'status' as a basis for human relations find their origin in social psychology and sociology. Possibilities and problems regarding the application of these different models on the doctor-patient relationship are discussed.