| For eighteen years, up until his death three months ago, my brother led as “normal” of a life as possible, despite his many disabilities. He was severely retarded, more severe than most people who are placed in institutions. However, my parents chose to raise him at home and to give him the life that would belong to any other boy without a disability. He enjoyed many activities that he never would have known living within the confines of an institution: He played the piano. While not a concert pianist, his favorite pastime was banging on the keyboard and making what was music to his ears, and making what made myself and my parents proud. His favorite thing to eat was french fries from McDonald’s. But most of all, he knew what it was to be part of a family. He knew what it was to feel loved and cared for to the utmost degree. He was one of the most disabled people I have ever met, yet one of the most cared for and happiest children I have ever met as well. If my parents had taken the advice of the doctor upon my brother’s birth and had placed him in an institution, he would never have known any of this. Playing the piano and eating french fries from McDonald’s, as simple as it sounds, were part of his identity. If he had not known life within a normal family setting, he would have been void of all of these things that made up his identity. Upon entering an institutional setting as an inmate, whether it be a mental hospital, a prison, or a nunnery, each individual must succumb to the rules and regulations ascribed to them. The purpose of this is to attempt to assimilate one person to another. By doing so, there are no longer any individuals in the institution, but one large group of similar looking and acting people. Seemingly, this is done for the convenience of the institution staff. For example, a criminal entering a prison is first given a uniform identical to every other inmate’s uniform. Then, the heads of the male prisoners are usually shaven. They live in identical cells of the same size and for the most part are all treated exactly the same. They follow a set schedule to wake up, eat, and go to sleep. Whatever accomplishments they had achieved in the past no longer count towards the identity of the inmates. Now, the slate is wiped clean and a new identity must be assembled. Another example is a woman entering a nunnery. This is done voluntarily, but still has the same implications as a criminal entering a prison. A uniform is handed out to each nun so that they all look alike in dress, and a set schedule is set for all of the women, which cannot be deviated from. As well as with prisoners, nuns must also start from scratch to build a new identity. In each of these cases, as it is with all “total institutions,” all personal possessions and friendships are put on hold and new friendships are made and new possessions are bought (or usually given out, as most institutions do not allow for many personal possessions). Once living in an institutional setting where every one appears the same as every one else, the inmate must then attempt to define who he or she is as an individual. Since this cannot be done through clothing or possessions, it has to be achieved in another way. Inside most institutions, groups of people with similar interests begin to form. The members of these groups are then identified by the type of group he or she belongs to. For example, a group in a mental hospital may like to play checkers every day. The members of this group may not even be known by name to the staff of the hospital, but the individual will be recognized as “one of the people who plays checkers.” The fact that the identities of the inmates are taken away causes many of them to act out in inappropriate or sometimes even violent ways for attention. This is one of the few ways that a person can be differentiated from his fellow inmates. If an inmate is ever released from their institution, many are not able to return to the life they knew before. The identity they had prior to entering the institution is now gone, and many inmates have a hard time adjusting. Some commit suicide, and some commit crimes in order to be arrested and placed inside a total institution again. The dependency of a long-term inmate on an institution is immense. One reason for this is because the inmate does not know or remember how to function. Another reason is also that the people of society have a negative image of someone who is an inmate. In order for someone to become an “inmate,” something must be wrong with that individual, right? That seems to be the major assumption of most people, and it is a stigma that is very hard to get rid of. For example, a priest who has a temporary mental breakdown and voluntarily commits himself to a psychiatric hospital will have a hard time maintaining the respect of his congregation after his release. Inside the walls of an institution are many different backgrounds, different stories, and different identities. Yet, prior identities are now useless. Any accomplishments or achievements that had been made are meaningless. In an institution, a husband and father of three is now no different from a drug dealer, and he in turn is no different from a successful self-made millionaire. Now, they are all blended together and each inmate needs to start over, learning who he or she is and showing that to others. This is a difficult task, and many people who are in institutions never are able to fully create an identity for themselves. Those who do are the lucky ones. April 26, 1999 |
| Identity And the Total Institution |
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