‘Forty bucks is forty bucks’: An analysis of a medical Doctor's professional identity

•We view the doctor's role as supporter–facilitator of a patient's narrative.•The doctor's discursive moves provide the patient ‘space’ for her illness story.•Multiple facets of identity are used to achieve relational and transactional goals.•We show that professional identity is used as a resource to build trust and rapport.

The study of narrative has focused on the narrator, often overlooking the transactional and relational role of the interlocutor, particularly in doctor–patient interactions where interactants co-construct the case. However, the role of the doctor as a narrative facilitator has rarely been explored. Using a case study from a doctor–patient interaction, this fine-grained discourse analysis demonstrates how a doctor assists his patient to construct her narrative while also enacting salient aspects of his own identity. The doctor uses discursive strategies, such as alignment, repair moves, and mitigation, which act as vehicles through which the doctor constructs his professional identity, providing ‘space’ for the patient's narrative, and assist in building trust and rapport.