Psychological Survival - Cohen and Taylor Essay Example for Free

psychological Survival Cohen and Taylor Essay1) Aim of the demandObtain a phenomenological picture of long term im prisonment i.e. the analysis of the every day sprightliness of long term prisoners.The smooth patterning of every day life is the result of social interactions and learning around routines and the divergent domains of life. But some situations atomic number 18 outside the routines (death, sense of self or world calculate threatened). Disturbed orderliness brings meaning of life into question and often individuals rely on a distinct domain.Long term prisoners drive outnot do this. Theirs is a life in cold storage.Psychologically unassailable to cud with life outside. Some people go in when 20 and dont leave onward theyre 40, so a lot has gone on in everyday life and theyve deep in thought(p) it.2) Cohen and Taylor not really interested in the crime committed and the moral issues behind it. They are reasonable interested in how prison affects this group o f people. Society has been taken away from these people. Some of the people are well known, but they put aside what these people have been convicted on, they just want to know slightly their psychological survival.3) Life insideMetaphor of a submarine Impregnability, empty, claustrophobic, lifeless, bland no natural light, TV cameras.Things we take for granted in normal life, sociability and privacy, are not there. Not many friends you can have or choose to have.Relationships between guards and prisoners, maybe from a similar social acanthagrounds, have a lot to talk roughly. In the E-wing case there was a very pronounced geographical divide, wedlock and south. Prisoners have a public profile outside, quite famous and it sets them aside from the guards. A sense of honor in some of the prisoners. This creates a division between guards and prisoners. New power dynamic.Not only hard to create and maintain relationships inside hard to do so with the external world. The prisoners we re more worried about getting letters rather than receiving them.No physical contact, e.g. members of your family. Not allowed to talk about conditions in the prison maybe that is why they wanted to get their stories heard with Cohen and Taylor. Isolating experience.5) different people follow out different social roles. Obviously there was a small pool in prison. One friend had to fulfil many different roles, which made friendship very strong and intense. Some people were moved constantly and losing your one friend can be traumatic. Intensity of relationships and falling out, which will have an impact on the group and on you.No privacy no prison term. Cant develop intimacy with early(a) people. Constantly surrounded by others. Interactions regulated within the group to make sure nobody got harmed. 6) time means different things. For us its a resource.Living the present they dont reckon or think of the 20 years ahead.Marking time in different ways mood, seasons, foreign markers.M ake time pass faster body building, university courses, etc. promise of a picture. 8 weeks visit for e.g.7) deteriorationobsessive concern about their physical and psychological condition.8) history of riots, rebellions and security. Cohen and Taylor interested in solidarity. The choler towards guards held the group together, helped with bonding. Fight back together.9) authority and unitydifferent situations lead to different types of solidarity10) fighting back11) different criminal careers lead to different ways of psychological survival.Notes from a lecture and seminar on Psychological Survival.