Symbolic Violence and Social Control in the Post-Total Institution Era

Authors

John W. Murphy, University of Miami
John T. Pardeck, Southwest Missouri State University
Woo Sik Chung, Boston College
Jung Min Choi, York University

Abstract

Subsequent to the passage of the Community Mental Health Act in 1963, the "Total Institutions" described by Goffman have for the most part disappeared. Nonetheless, many writers charge that social control is still the primary function of mental health programs, even those that are identified as community-based. The new methods of control have not received widespread attention. In community-based programs control is operationalized in the form of "symbolic violence." This paper examines the various factors that contribute to this style of violence.

Recommended Citation

Murphy, John W.; Pardeck, John T.; Chung, Woo Sik; and Choi, Jung Min (1994) "Symbolic Violence and Social Control in the Post-Total Institution Era," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 21: Iss. 4, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.2193
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol21/iss4/8