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Total Institution and Self-Mortification

1969; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 10; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2948361

2150-6000

Madeline Karmel,

Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments

The general concern of this study was to see if an inmate in a total institution undergoes a process of self-mortification. The specific concern of this study was to see if self-mortification occurs in mental patients in mental hospitals. A panel sample of 50 patients was used. Selfmortification was interpreted to mean a loss in self-esteem and a loss of social identity. The Rosenberg-Guttman scale of self-esteem was used to measure self-esteem, and the KuhnMcPartland Twenty Statements Test was used to measure social identity. Findings showed that self-mortification did not occur: there was a slight gain in self-esteem and social identity. Changes in depressive affect, as measured by the Rosenberg-Guttman scale of depressive affect, was used to help validate the findings.