Goffman Erving. On the Characteristics of Total Institutions / Asylums: Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates

Anchor Books, 1961. - 386 p.In this essay Goffman provides us a summary of one of his key concepts-that of the "total institution." In defining this concept Goffman delineates the key features of totalitarian social systems. Should a person reside in such a system, it encompasses his or her whole being. It undercuts the resident's individuality. It disregards his or her dignity. It subjects the individual to a regimented pattern of life that has little or nothing to do with the person's own desires or inclinations. And it is inescapable.