ABSTRACT
The model of the 'total institution' has tended to be used in a somewhat undifferentiated way; monastries, boarding schools, prisons, army units and mental hospitals have all been referred to under this 'umbrella' description. In so far as their encompassing, or total, character is symbolized by the barrier to social intercourse with the outside world, the two types of institution which appear to approximate most closely to the 'ideal type' are prisons and mental subnormality hospitals. Under the present system there are three corps of line and staff– medical, nursing, and lay administration, theoretically reflecting a division of labour, but in practice having overlapping concerns which may be a constant source of friction. The increased organizational responsibilities falling on the nursing staff reduce the possibilities of personality factors being neutralized as they might be in the more complex structure of the main hospital.
