SOC 100 Midterm: Sociology 100 Mid Term Review.docx
Document Summary
On being sane in insane places by david l. rosenhan. Sociologist david rosenhen conducted an experiment to study the significance of labels based on how people perceive and treat others based on a given label. He focused on the hardships people face in riding themselves of the label mentally ill and examined how staff members in mental institutions perceive and treat patients. He had seven associates, and himself, admitted to different mental hospitals and they all said that they were hearing voices, which classified them as having schizophrenia or bi polar disorder. Once admitted, these pseudopatients were told to act normally and say that they were not hearing voices anymore until the staff, who believed that they were real patients, released them. Only other patients were able to tell that the pseudopatients were faking it. The staff misinterpreted most of the pseudopatients" normal behavior, such as writing on a notepad, to be based on their mental illness, indicating emotional instability.
