The myth of the total institution: Written narratives of patients' views of sanatorium care 1908–1959

Staffan Bengtsson and Pia H. Bülow

Social Science & Medicine, 2016, vol. 153, issue C, 54-61

Abstract: Drawing on written narratives by 72 former sanatorium patients, this article explores, from patients' perspectives, the nature of the relationships between patients and staff in a Swedish sanatorium during the first half of the twentieth century. These narratives are discussed in the context of the total institution. This article suggests that this phenomenon was marked by inconsistencies that can be understood in terms of its situational and contradictory characteristics. Simultaneously, these narratives are in opposition to the assumption of the static and powerless patient adapted only to suit the logic of the institution.

Keywords: Sweden; Total institution; Sanatorium; Story; Letter; Narrative analysis; Patient–staff relationship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:153:y:2016:i:c:p:54-61

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.02.005

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