Narratives of Punishment, Reward and Infor¬mal Education at the Former National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology: A Retrospective Qualitative Study
Narratives of Punishment, Reward and Infor¬mal Education at the Former National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology: A Retrospective Qualitative Study

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the institutional culture of the National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology (OPNI, Lipótmező) between 1968 and 2007 within the framework of ret¬rospective qualitative research, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms of dis¬cipline and reward. The interview-based exploration aims to uncover the narrative of institutional discipline and reward, embedded in the internal dynamics of the insti¬tute and the specificities of the career socialisation of medical and professional staff. The operation of the institution was characterised by so-called double demarginali¬sation affecting both patients and staff. Patients were subject to institutional control, while staff were also constrained by hierarchical structures. Physical and chemical restraints and normalised forms of verbal abuse persisted for extended periods, while psychotherapeutic and social psychiatric approaches gradually gained prominence. The research indicates that the professional hierarchy, paternalistic relationships, and symbolic boundaries between generations hindered institutional humanisation. The study highlights the duality of disciplinary practices and therapeutic intentions in psy¬chiatric institutions, which played a decisive role in shaping professional identity. The findings may contribute to further research on historical and contemporary themes of violence in psychiatric institutional systems.

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