For a dialectical and communication-related identity in nursing.

The construction of the identity of a professional group is the subjective dimension of its professionalization process, understood as a process of affi rmation, autonomy construction and social recognition(1-2). Because it is founded on relationships, of recognition or non-recognition, identity is a concept that is related to communication, but it is translated into objective dimensions of the professionalization process (objective statute, autonomy and social image). Thus, identity is internal and external, that is, it refers both to a professionalism that comes from the inside (which, being diverse, must be clarifi ed), and to a professionalism that comes from the outside – concerning the social recognition that is usually achieved through the strength of the professionalism that comes from the inside(3). Although the study of identity can focus on the professionalism that comes from the outside, it is especially relevant to explain the professionalism that comes from the inside and to inform self-regulation processes – clear defi nition of the knowledge, ethics, practices and relations that are typical of it –, for although the statute, the social image and the autonomy recognized from the outside can derive from external prescriptions, they depend mainly on what the professional group is capable of doing internally.