A total institution is a place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, lead an enclosed, formally administered life together. The term was coined by the American sociologist Erving Goffman. Within a total institution, the basic needs of a entire bloc of people are under bureaucratic control. These needs are handled in an impersonal and bureaucratic manner. Show
Goffman divided total institutions into five different types:
The goal of total institutions is resocialization, the radical alteration of residents' personalities by deliberately manipulating their environment. Key examples include the process of resocializing new recruits into the military so that they can operate as soldiers. Resocialization is a two-part process. First, the staff of the institution tries to erode the residents' identities and independence. Second, resocialization involves the systematic attempt to build a different personality or self. This is generally done through a system of reward and punishment. The privilege of reading a book, watching television, or making a phone call can be a powerful motivator to conform. Conformity occurs when individuals change their behavior to fit in with the expectations of an authority figure or the expectations of a larger group. Total InstitutionsPrisons are examples of total institutions. A total institution is a closed social system in which life is organized by strict norms, rules, and schedules, and what happens within it is determined by a single authority whose will is carried out by staff who enforce the rules. Total institutions are separated from wider society by distance, laws, and/or protections around their property and those who live within them are generally similar to each other in some way. In general, they are designed to provide care to a population who is unable to care for themselves, and/or protect society from the potential harm that this population could do to its members. The most typical examples include prisons, military compounds, private boarding schools, and locked mental health facilities. Participation within a total institution can be either voluntary or involuntary, but either way, once a person has joined one, they must follow the rules and go through a process of leaving behind their identity to adopt a new one given to them by the institution. Sociologically speaking, total institutions serve the purpose of resocialization and/or rehabilitation. Erving Goffman's Total InstitutionFamed sociologist Erving Goffman is credited with popularizing the term "total institution" within the field of sociology. While he may not have been the first to use the term, his paper, "On the Characteristics of Total Institutions," which he delivered at a convention in 1957, is considered the foundational academic text on the subject. Goffman, however, is hardly the only social scientist to write about this concept. In fact, the work of Michel Foucault was acutely focused on total institutions, what happens within them, and how they affect individuals and the social world. Goffman explained that while all institutions "have encompassing tendencies," total institutions differ in that they are far more encompassing than others. One reason is that they are separated from the rest of society by physical attributes, including high walls, barbed wire fences, vast distances, locked doors, and even cliffs and water in some cases (such as Alcatraz prison.) Other reasons include the fact that they are closed social systems that require both permission to enter and leave, and that they exist to resocialize people into changed or new identities and roles. 5 Types of Total InstitutionsGoffman outlined five types of total institutions in his 1957 paper.
Common CharacteristicsIn addition to identifying five types of total institutions, Goffman also identified four common characteristics that help understand how total institutions function. He noted that some types will have all characteristics while others might have some or variations on them.
Why is resocialization important?Adults go through a process of resocialization, which is the learning of new norms and values that occurs when they join a new group or when life circumstances change dramatically. Learning new norms and values enables people to adapt, though newly learned things may contradict what was previously learned.
What are total institutions describe the role they play in socialization?A total institution is a place of work and residence where a great number of similarly situated people, cut off from the wider community for a considerable time, lead an enclosed, formally administered life together. The term was coined by the American sociologist Erving Goffman.
What is the first step in how total institutions resocialize individuals?In order for resocialization to occur in these total institutions, in many cases first the person undergoes a degradation ceremony , an encounter in which a resident is humiliated, often in front of the institution's other residents or officials (Goffman, 1961).
What is the first step of being Resocialized into an institution?Many individuals are resocialized into an institution through a two-part process. First, members entering an institution must leave behind their old identity through what is known as a degradation ceremony. In a degradation ceremony, new members lose the aspects of their old identity and are given new identities.
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