Confinement and Ego Regression: Some Consequences of Enforced Passivity

Abstract

This paper suggests a relationship between the enforced passivity of confinement and certain peculiarities of behavior seen among both hospitalized patients and other incarcerated groups such as prisoners. It is proposed that confinement has deleterious effects on certain ego functions. Finally, it is recommended that steps may be taken, based upon a knowledge of the psychological issues involved, which may lessen regression during confinement and facilitate return to normal mental functioning upon release from confinement. Clinical material illustrating effects of confinement is drawn from the author's experiences as a psychiatrist in the federal prisons and juvenile courts and from observations of patients hospitalized for physical and mental disorders.