Discipline vs. Profession — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Published on January 17, 2024
Discipline refers to a field of study or branch of knowledge, while profession denotes a paid occupation, typically one requiring formal qualifications.
Difference Between Discipline and Profession
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Discipline refers to an academic field or area of study, focusing on a specific branch of knowledge or learning. It encompasses broad areas like science, arts, and humanities, and specific subjects like biology, economics, or philosophy. Profession, on the other hand, refers to a vocation or occupation, often requiring specialized education, training, and ethical standards, such as medicine, law, or engineering.
The concept of discipline is primarily academic, involving the pursuit and dissemination of knowledge. Disciplines are often subjects taught in educational institutions and form the basis for research and scholarship. Profession implies a practical application of skills and knowledge, usually in a job or career context. Professions often have regulatory bodies, codes of conduct, and certification processes.
In a discipline, the emphasis is on theoretical understanding, principles, and expanding the body of knowledge through research. In contrast, a profession is more about applying this knowledge in practical contexts, solving real-world problems, and providing services.
Someone engaged in a discipline may be a student, teacher, or researcher, focusing on learning and exploration within that field. In a profession, the individual is a practitioner, such as a doctor, lawyer, or accountant, providing expert services in exchange for remuneration.
Disciplines can evolve into professions when the body of knowledge becomes extensive enough to be applied practically, leading to the establishment of professional standards, ethics, and qualifications.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A field of study or branch of knowledge
A paid occupation requiring formal qualifications
Focus
Theoretical understanding and research
Practical application and service provision
Examples
Biology, economics, history
Medicine, law, engineering
Practitioners
Students, teachers, researchers
Doctors, lawyers, engineers
Goal
Expanding knowledge and understanding
Providing expert services and solutions
Compare with Definitions
Discipline
Discipline is an academic field of study or knowledge.
Psychology is a discipline that explores human behavior and mind.
Profession
Profession refers to a paid vocation requiring specialized training.
Medicine is a profession dedicated to health care and treatment.
Discipline
Involves theoretical understanding and principles.
In the discipline of mathematics, theory forms the foundation for application.
Profession
Provides services or expertise in exchange for remuneration.
Architecture is a profession focusing on designing buildings and structures.
Discipline
Encompasses broad areas like science or humanities.
The discipline of history is critical in understanding societal development.
Profession
Often involves formal education and qualifications.
Law is a profession that requires extensive legal education.
Discipline
Focuses on learning and scholarly exploration.
The discipline of linguistics studies the structure and evolution of language.
Profession
Associated with practical application of skills.
Engineering is a profession that applies scientific principles for practical solutions.
Discipline
Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement
Was raised in the strictest discipline.
Profession
Typically has a regulatory body and ethical standards.
In the accounting profession, practitioners must adhere to strict ethical guidelines.
Discipline
Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order
Military discipline.
Profession
An occupation or career
"One of the highest compliments a child can pay a parent is to choose his or her profession" (Joan Nathan).
Discipline
Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control
Dieting takes a lot of discipline.
Profession
An occupation, such as law, medicine, or engineering, that requires considerable training and specialized study.
Discipline
A state of order based on submission to rules and authority
A teacher who demanded discipline in the classroom.
Profession
The body of qualified persons in an occupation or field
Members of the teaching profession.
Discipline
Punishment intended to correct or train
Subjected to harsh discipline.
Profession
An act or instance of professing; a declaration.
Discipline
A set of rules or methods, as those regulating the practice of a church or monastic order.
Profession
An avowal of faith or belief.
Discipline
A branch of knowledge or teaching
The discipline of mathematics.
Profession
A faith or belief
Believers of various professions.
Discipline
To train by instruction and practice, as in following rules or developing self-control
The sergeant disciplined the recruits to become soldiers.
Profession
Declaration of faith.
Discipline
To punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience.
Profession
(religion) A promise or vow made on entering a religious order.
She died only a few years after her profession.
Discipline
To impose order on
Needed to discipline their study habits.
Profession
The declaration of belief in the principles of a religion; hence, one's faith or religion.
Discipline
A controlled behaviour; self-control.
Profession
Any declaration of belief, faith or one's opinion, whether genuine or (as now often implied) pretended.
Despite his continued professions of innocence, the court eventually sentenced him to five years.
Discipline
An enforced compliance or control.
Profession
Professional occupation.
Discipline
A systematic method of obtaining obedience.
Profession
An occupation, trade, craft, or activity in which one has a professed expertise in a particular area; a job, especially one requiring a high level of skill or training.
My father was a barrister by profession.
Discipline
A state of order based on submission to authority.
Profession
(collective) The practitioners of such an occupation collectively.
His conduct is against the established practices of the legal profession.
Discipline
A set of rules regulating behaviour.
Profession
The act of professing or claiming; open declaration; public avowal or acknowledgment; as, professions of friendship; a profession of faith.
A solemn vow, promise, and profession.
Discipline
A punishment to train or maintain control.
Profession
That which one professed; a declaration; an avowal; a claim; as, his professions are insincere.
The Indians quickly perceive the coincidence or the contradiction between professions and conduct.
Discipline
A specific branch of knowledge or learning.
Profession
That of which one professed knowledge; the occupation, if not mechanical, agricultural, or the like, to which one devotes one's self; the business which one professes to understand, and to follow for subsistence; calling; vocation; employment; as, the profession of arms; the profession of a clergyman, lawyer, or physician; the profession of lecturer on chemistry.
Hi tried five or six professions in turn.
Discipline
A category in which a certain art, sport or other activity belongs.
Profession
The collective body of persons engaged in a calling; as, the profession distrust him.
Discipline
(transitive) To train someone by instruction and practice.
Profession
The act of entering, or becoming a member of, a religious order.
Discipline
(transitive) To teach someone to obey authority.
Profession
The body of people in a learned occupation;
The news spread rapidly through the medical community
Discipline
(transitive) To punish someone in order to (re)gain control.
Profession
An occupation requiring special education (especially in the liberal arts or sciences)
Discipline
(transitive) To impose order on someone.
Profession
An open avowal (true or false) of some belief or opinion;
A profession of disagreement
Discipline
The treatment suited to a disciple or learner; education; development of the faculties by instruction and exercise; training, whether physical, mental, or moral.
Wife and children are a kind of discipline of humanity.
Discipline aims at the removal of bad habits and the substitution of good ones, especially those of order, regularity, and obedience.
Profession
Affirmation of acceptance of some religion or faith;
A profession of Christianity
Discipline
Training to act in accordance with established rules; accustoming to systematic and regular action; drill.
Their wildness lose, and, quitting nature's part,Obey the rules and discipline of art.
Discipline
Subjection to rule; submissiveness to order and control; habit of obedience.
The most perfect, who have their passions in the best discipline, are yet obliged to be constantly on their guard.
Discipline
Severe training, corrective of faults; instruction by means of misfortune, suffering, punishment, etc.
A sharp discipline of half a century had sufficed to educate us.
Discipline
Correction; chastisement; punishment inflicted by way of correction and training.
Giving her the discipline of the strap.
Discipline
The subject matter of instruction; a branch of knowledge.
Discipline
The enforcement of methods of correction against one guilty of ecclesiastical offenses; reformatory or penal action toward a church member.
Discipline
Self-inflicted and voluntary corporal punishment, as penance, or otherwise; specifically, a penitential scourge.
Discipline
A system of essential rules and duties; as, the Romish or Anglican discipline.
Discipline
To educate; to develop by instruction and exercise; to train.
Discipline
To accustom to regular and systematic action; to bring under control so as to act systematically; to train to act together under orders; to teach subordination to; to form a habit of obedience in; to drill.
Ill armed, and worse disciplined.
His mind . . . imperfectly disciplined by nature.
Discipline
To improve by corrective and penal methods; to chastise; to correct.
Has he disciplined Aufidius soundly?
Discipline
To inflict ecclesiastical censures and penalties upon.
Discipline
A branch of knowledge;
In what discipline is his doctorate?
Teachers should be well trained in their subject
Anthropology is the study of human beings
Discipline
A system of rules of conduct or method of practice;
He quickly learned the discipline of prison routine
For such a plan to work requires discipline
Discipline
The trait of being well behaved;
He insisted on discipline among the troops
Discipline
Training to improve strength or self-control
Discipline
The act of punishing;
The offenders deserved the harsh discipline they received
Discipline
Train by instruction and practice; especially to teach self-control;
Parents must discipline their children
Is this dog trained?
Discipline
Punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience;
The teacher disciplined the pupils rather frequently
Discipline
Can be a subject of teaching and research.
Environmental science is a rapidly evolving discipline.
Common Curiosities
Is teaching a profession or a discipline?
Teaching is a profession that often involves expertise in a specific discipline.
What is a profession?
A profession is a paid occupation that typically requires specialized training and qualifications.
Do all disciplines have associated professions?
Not all, but many disciplines lead to specific professions.
Can a discipline lead to a profession?
Yes, many professions arise from academic disciplines when the knowledge is applied practically.
Are professions regulated?
Many professions are regulated by professional bodies or standards.
What defines a discipline?
A discipline is defined as a specific field of study or academic knowledge.
Do disciplines evolve over time?
Yes, disciplines can evolve with new research and discoveries.
Is research a profession?
Research can be considered a profession, especially in academic or scientific fields.
How is a discipline different from a hobby?
A discipline involves formal study and research, while a hobby is a leisure activity.
Can one change their profession easily?
Changing professions may require additional training or education.
Is it necessary to study a discipline to enter a profession?
Usually, formal study in a relevant discipline is required for professional practice.
How important is ethics in a profession?
Ethics is crucial in maintaining standards and trust in most professions.
How does one choose a profession?
It often involves considering one's interests, skills, and the educational path required.
Can a profession exist without a formal body?
Some professions may not have formal bodies but still require specific skills and training.
Do all professions require university degrees?
Many do, but some professions may require different forms of training or certification.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
