The Theory

The reason why this place is wired as it is is because of the Theory, the Theory of Therapeutic Community. The man who first introduced it to both Patrick McMurphy and us is Doctor Spivey, a man who sits uncomfortably unless he is talking about his theory or he’s working on graphs in his office, away from the chaos that is the mental ward. Chief ends up explaining the Theory as “how a guy has to learn to get along in a group before he’ll be able to function in a normal society.” To paraphrase, a person who is declared “unfit” or “unstable” for the Outside must be sent Inside so that they can readjust to a small group of people in order to be declared as “stable” and “fit” for the Outside. This Theory has a point but the way to do it is not how it should be. The idea is there, that’s the only support I have for this is that the idea is good, not the execution. The idea that someone who’s consistently caused problems on the Outside should be sent someplace so that they can sort of re-learn how to understand people and basic things that society says is necessary. Do I think it should be an abusive and unsafe environment? F*** no. A human is a human and the better you treat someone the more likely you are to gain their trust, therefore enabling the patient to eventually become “stable”. It’s like being a a-hole to someone but then when you need something from that person they refuse to give it to you because you were a bad person. Do I think every case is gonna end in sunshine and rainbows? Hell no. But is that a definite step up from pills being administered anally when you don’t wanna take ‘em? I personally think so.