[Violence--an element of the psychiatric profession].

In an article on principles it is shown that violence plays a significant part in psychiatry: The patients bring violence into the psychiatric institution as a symptom as well as an origin of their disorders. The institution itself can again not be free of structural violence. Add to this a resonance in the personal aggressive emotions of the professionals. In this way violence becomes an element of the psychiatric profession. In the centre of this appears the specific competence of the psychiatrist to judge about the ability of judgement ("reality-control") of other people in an authoritarian manner. This competence which cannot be eliminated from the psychiatric work gives power and has a latent totalitarian aspect. Thus taking over the responsibility to limit the violence that is set free through psychic disorders we have to limit this responsibility in the same time.