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The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that "total institutions," specifically state operated mental hospitals, contain two cultures: (1) that brought by the inmates and (2) that found in the "institution." Attempts to develop a therapeutic milieu in mental hospitals have been largely directed to `modification of the social structure and have largely ignored cultural norms. There appears to be an implicit assumption that a therapeutic community may be achieved through a social structure with certain universal characteristics. A study of selected background norms of patients in one such "therapeutic milieu" revealed significant differences from the norms of behavior maintained on the ward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most universal complaints of hospitalized patients in Western society is that they do not have enough communication with hospitalized functionaries. This paper briefly reviews the meaning and function of communication to hospitalized patients and some barriers to that communication. Possible reasons for lack of communication between patients and hospital functionaries are examined from the standpoint of their relation to the ends of the hospital as a social organization and the possible anticipated and unanticipated consequences of such a policy for the therapeutic process. Finally, a series of propositions are developed in regard to communication between nurses and hospitalized patients, and physicians and hospitalized patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the abstracts of various research papers published in the December 1960 issue of the journal " Journal of Health and Human Behavior". One of the abstracts talks about pat terns of role dominance and conflict in parents of schizophrenic patients. The main purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that there is an association between the sex of the dominant parent and the premorbid adjustment of the schizophrenic son. Another abstracts talks about innovation, integration, and marginality. It is suggested that innovations of different kinds find readiest adoption among individuals in different positions of the social structure. Another abstracts talks about research needs in the vocational rehabilitation of the deaf. The research needs are analyzed in terms of psychological assessment of the deaf; the language, problems of the deaf; the sub-culture of the deaf, with particular emphasis on the barriers to social participation by deaf persons in the hearing community.