Brief Biography of David Rosenhan
David Rosenhan was an American Psychologist born in 1929 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 2012 at the age of 82 years. He studied at Yeshiva as a student and obtained his BA in mathematics from Yeshiva College in 1951. In 1953, Rosenhan received his MA in Economics and five years later a PhD in psychology from Columbia University. Rosenhan is considered as a critical player in law and psychology. He pioneered the application of psychological methods in the legal practice and trial process like the selection of a jury and consultation of the same. At the time of his death, he was a law and psychology professor at Stanford University (Stanford Law School, 2012). Professor Rosenhan authored over eighty books and research articles. Among his well-known research article in the field of psychology is “On Being Sane in Insane Places”. Rosenhan wore many hats at the time of his death including being a fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a former president of the American Psychological Association. He was also a president at other associations like the American Psychology-Law society and American Board of Forensic Psychology. Rosenhan believed in seven main characteristics of abnormality that include suffering, unpredictability and loss of control and being irrational and incomprehensible. He also believed that observer discomfort, maladaptiveness, and violation of moral and ideal values are symptoms of abnormality. Further, he considered vividness and unconventionality as signs of abnormality (Stanford Law School, 2012). Before his illustrious career at Stanford University, David Rosenhan was a faculty member at different colleges including Swarthmore, Princeton University, Haverford, and University of Pennsylvania.
Summary of the Article: On Being Sane in Insane Places
Background (theory/research) to the Study
The background of the study was to find out how normal people can fake abnormality in mental health facilities and the reaction from mental health experts in distinguishing real mental cases from fake ones. The participants in the study admitted themselves as mental patients in about twelve mental facilities for a period of three years (Rosenhan, 1973). These patients described hallucination and ‘empty’ feelings as symptoms and eventually diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Consequently, they were admitted and immediately began to behave normally. They anticipated the hospital staff to notice and react but the staff never noticed. However, real mental patients identified these people as fakes.
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Hypotheses tested or research questions investigated
The study sought to answer questions about the existence of both sanity and insanity. The question posed by the researcher was: If sanity and insanity exist, how shall we know them (Rosenhan, 1975).
Imperatively, the researcher’s hypotheses were:
Does sanity and insanity exist? And if so
How do you distinguish sane from insane individuals or persons?
Research Methods used (sample, measure, procedure to collect data)
The research method for the study was based on a sample of eight pseudo patients that were selected from different groups. One of the eight participants was a graduate of psychology in his twenties. However, the rest of the participants were older and working in different professional fields (Rosenhan, 1973). Three of these people included psychologists, a psychiatrist, a housewife, a painter, and pediatrician. These patients were admitted based on various instances of their hallucinations and faked their professions to gain access to the mental facilities. Data was collected based on their diagnostic experiences in these facilities.
Results of the Study
In his findings, Rosenhan states that while the pseudo patients showed publicly that they were sane, hospital staff never detected them. On admission, with exception of one case diagnosed with schizophrenia, the rest were discharged with a remission of schizophrenia diagnosis (Rosenhan, 1973). However, the researcher was categorical that the labeling of these patients as being in remission does not imply a formality of their condition because at no moment during the hospitalization was a question raised concerning simulation of any the patients. Further, no hospital records indicated any suspense in the status of the pseudo patients. However, once labeled, the patient was stuck with the label. Therefore, ‘remission label’ implies that one must naturally be in ‘remission’ but they are neither sane nor had ever been sane. The author is categorical that the failure to recognize sanity is not due the quality of these facilities or lack of time to observe the pseudo patients. However, the patients were not observed carefully; an implication that mental health facilities lack the opportunity to carry out their duties effectively (Rosenhan, 1973). Further, the author observes that the experiment demonstrates the tendency for mental facilities to designate sane persons as insane yet the situation can be reversed based on the existing circumstances.
Conclusion
Rosenhan concluded that mental facilities cannot distinguish the sane from the insane. Therefore, the consequences to those in such facilities include being powerless, depersonalization of patients, discrimination, self labeling and mortification (Rosenhan, 1973). Imperatively, these outcomes are counter-effective against the therapeutic interventions to address the condition.
Implications
The implication of the study is that health facilities may not have the opportunity to distinguish sane from insane such that crazy people may not access these facilities to get healthcare. Further, it implies that craziness surrounds us in many measures and aspects but only changes due to circumstances. Again, the researcher poses fundamental questions in relation to sanity and insanity in both social and cultural discourses (Rosenhan, 1973). For instance, the author believes that many fake insanity to get away with criminal prosecutions.
References
Kohls, G.G (2015) Psychiatric Hospitals: On Being Sane In ‘Insane Places” Accessed from
https://www.globalresearch.ca/psychiatric-hospitals-on-being-sane-in-insane-places/5450407
Rosenhan, D.L. (1973) On Being Sane in Insane Places. Accessed from
http://www.bonkersinstitute.org/rosenhan.html
Stanford Law School (2012, February) Stanford Law School Mourns the Loss of David L.
Rosenhan, Professor of Law & Psychology, Emeritus. Accessed from https://law.stanford.edu/press/stanford-law-school-mourns-the-loss-of-david-l-rosenhan-professor-of-law-psychology-emeritus/
