Psychiatry residents in a milieu participatory democracy: a resident's view.
Psychiatry residents respond with a variety of coping mechanisms to the lack of traditional structure in a milieu participatory democracy. To incorporate themselves into the system they must accept such democratic ideals as equality among staff and patients, group decision making, and free self-expression and give up some of their traditional ideas about staff and patient roles, treatment modalities, and the therapeutic environment. The author was a first-year resident in psychiatry on a university hospital inpatient therapeutic community; he discusses the conflicts between residents, who often adopt a "we-they" attitude, and the permanent staff, whose protectiveness of the ward community reflects their personal commitment to its ideals.
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003657:Decision Making; D006126:Group Processes; D006757:Hospital Units / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008884:Milieu Therapy; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D012380:Role; D012649:Self Concept