Institutions Flashcards
Sociologist and psychologist who developed the idea of the ‘total institution’
Erving Goffman
Sociologist and psychologist who developed the idea of the ‘moral career’ of a mentally ill patient
Erving Goffman
Characteristics of a total institution
All areas of life are conducted in the same place
People’s daily activities are carried out next to a large number of other people who are doing the same things
Daily activities are scheduled with little free time
The purpose behind the daily schedule chosen is to fulfil the aims of the organisation
Four steps of the ‘moral career’ of a mentally ill patient
Betrayal funnel
Role stripping
Mortification
Privilege system
Step in the ‘moral career’ of a mentally ill patient where their friends and family conspire against them, reporting their behaviour to medical professionals
Betrayal funnel
Step in the ‘moral career’ of a mentally ill patient where there the patient is stripped of their sense of self e.g. by removal of their personal clothes
Role stripping
Step in the ‘moral career’ of a mentally ill patient where the patient has their private activities put onto public display and must ask permission to carry out basic activities such as going to the toilet, smoking or shaving
Mortification
Step in the ‘moral career’ of a mentally ill patient where the patient has become a ‘full member’ of the institution and tries to earn privileges in the form of reduction in how much the institution controls their life
Privilege system
Concept within Goffman’s total institutions describing the idea that all patients/inmates lead very similar lives within the institution
Batch living
Concept within Goffman’s total institutions describing the fact that staff have very different lives to patients/inmates as they have connections to the outside world and they have the power in the setup
Binary living
Characteristics of institutional neurosis described by Barton
Apathy, lack of initiative, loss of interest, submissiveness
Proposed causes of institutional neurosis by Barton
Lack of contact with the outside world Enforced idleness Brutality or authoritativeness of staff Loss of friends Lack of personal possessions Lack of prospects outside the institution
Described the term malignant alienation
Morgan
Process where there is a gradual deterioration in the relationship between staff and a patient, where staff start to view the patient’s behaviours as provocative, overdependent etc.
Malignant alienation
Five types of segregation leading to artificial communities as described by Goffman
Incapable harmless - orphanages or nursing homes
Ill but threat to society - mental hospitals
Not ill and a threat to society - prisons
Occupation related - barracks, boarding schools
Retreat from the world - convents
