Praxis II: Sociology Exam Prep

Answer - D - Both a mental hospital and a prison would be considered a total institution, often using complete and radical means to resocialize an individual.

Key Takeaway: Total institutions are those in which all aspects of an individual’s life can be controlled. The idea in these institutions is that the individual’s former self can be stripped away in order to re-socialize the individual and create a new identity. This is most successful in residential institutions like mental institutions and prisons.