Occupational Oaths as a Communication Instrument

Communication is an obligation that begins with human existence. At every moment of life, written, verbal and non-verbal expressions are needed for the continuation of daily dynamics. The accuracy and satisfaction of these statements increase the trust in people. Therefore, the need to take an oath has arisen at the beginning of professional life and while fulfilling public duties. In many professional groups, oath-taking is practiced before taking office. The oath, which means a commitment within the social structure and is a concept that concerns the future in particular, is a communication tool that assures that the public duty in professional life will be carried out on the basis of accuracy. In different professional groups, there are people who take office with oath texts containing different expressions. In this study, -due to the intensity of the number of employees and the audience it addresses- the professional oaths made by people working in the fields of law, security, education and health at the beginning of their professional life were analyzed by content analysis method. In parallel, a questionnaire prepared in advance was used to interview members of the professions working in the four categories, and the loyalty of the oath-takers to their oaths was analyzed in the context of values.