Abstract
Caring for people with diminished faculties and forms of disease and handicap that break down their personality places high demands on care staff. Anchored in a caring science with a holistic and humanistic approach, this article analyzes the trajectories of control that emerge in nurse care interactions. A suggested answer is the responsibility of the nurse to be aware of the power inequality, to recognize the potential for patients to feel intimidated, and to create a therapeutic alliance. The right use of power in the nurse-patient interaction guarantees that the patient's needs are foremost and the patient's vulnerability is sheltered.