ABSTRACT

Erving Goffman’s book Asylums (1961a) on the psychiatric hospital and other ‘total institutions’ made a signifi cant impact as both a contribution to sociology and a critique of the living conditions of psychiatric hospital patients. Goffman was, however, not the fi rst to study psychiatric hospitals. Alfred H. Stanton and Morris S. Schwartz (1954) and Ivan Belknap (1956) had published their analyses during Goffman’s study. As did Goffman, Belknap analysed a large state hospital in the United States. A debate over informal aspects of life in psychiatric hospitals had started. What was new in Goffman’s study was his overriding interest in patients’ lives. William Caudill had done a small study of patients (Caudill, Redlich, Gilmore and Brody 1952) based on covert observation in the role of patient, and analyses of patient life were included in other researchers’ publications. However, none had done extensive fi eld work “to try to learn about the social world of the hospital inmate, as this world is subjectively experienced by him” (Goffman 1961a:ix).