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Issues associated with registered nurses and morale have importance across the globe. Nonetheless, the meaning of morale is arguably largely contextual. This paper will explore the relevance of a symbolic interactionist approach to the study of nursing morale. The paper draws on the justification for the application of this methodology in a study of Australian registered nurses and morale. The central assumption of the study is that the meanings attributed to morale are constructed through social interaction and within given social contexts. Yet, this does not detract from the importance of morale as an international issue. Rather, it is argued here that symbolic interactionism is a valuable methodology in addressing the constraints of prevailing approaches to nursing morale that focus exclusively on either individual or structural factors. Thus, this perspective enables an exploration of the dimensions of morale and their manifestations at the invidual, workplace and social levels.