Psychiatric Hospitals: On the Social Situation of Psychiatric Patients and Other Inmates

Erving Goffman, a master of sociology, wrote for the general public, not just academics. His magnum opus, Asylums, a work rich in humanistic concern, not only contains abundant insights and deeply inspiring concepts but also concretely interprets the power of "public sociology"—it sparked a nationwide de-institutionalization movement, persuading government officials to allow communities to re-embrace "mental patients." More than fifty years after its publication, Asylums has long transcended sociology and entered various other fields, proving its enduring relevance. Looking at our current era, where various total institutions are increasing rather than decreasing, Goffman's sagacious revelations will once again lead us to see through various hidden worlds that have been obscured.

This book is composed of four essays. Chapter 1, "On the Characteristics of Total Institutions," provides a general overview of social life within institutions, largely citing two examples—mental hospitals and prisons. This chapter explains the topics that will be developed in detail in the subsequent chapters and also indicates the position of these topics in the overall discussion. Chapter 2, "The Moral Career of the Mental Patient," examines the initial effects of "institutionalization" on the social relationships of individuals who have not yet become inmates. Chapter 3, "The Underlife of a Public Institution," focuses on the kind of attachment inmates are expected to show towards a "home" with impregnable walls, and also examines the ways in which inmates maintain some distance from these expectations. Chapter 4, "The Medical Model and Mental Confinement," returns to the institutional staff, using the mental hospital as an example, to examine the role played by the medical perspective in presenting the inmates with their situation.