David Rosenhan's 'On Being Sane in Insane Places' and the Fraud Behind It

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

In the early 1970s Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan told a psychiatric hospital he heard a voice saying thud. Inspired by a lecture from R.D. Laing, he described eight healthy pseudopatients who claimed to hear words like empty, hollow, and thud at 12 hospitals in five states. All were admitted, seven with schizophrenia, then held for 7 to 52 days despite acting normally. Staff logged note taking as abnormal writing behavior, doctors spent an average of 6.8 minutes a day with patients, and discharge files read schizophrenia in remission. His 1973 paper in Science, On Being Sane in Insane Places, fueled deinstitutionalization.

Psychiatrists Robert Spitzer and Seymour Kety fought back, with Kety comparing it to swallowing blood and faking an ulcer. Decades later, journalist Susannah Cahalan's 2019 book The Great Pretender found fabricated quotes and could identify only two of the eight pseudopatients. Rosenhan's own intake records showed he reported insomnia, suicidal thoughts, and sensitivity to radio signals, not just one word. In 2023 Andrew Scull called the study a successful scientific fraud, and a 2024 study found only a small first impression bias among therapists.

Why 35 of 118 real patients suspected the pseudopatients were faking while staff did not
Hidden pills flushed down toilets and the conditions inside 1970s wards
The challenge from a teaching hospital that flagged 41 of 193 patients as impostors when Rosenhan had sent none
Labeling theory and how a diagnosis reframed ordinary behavior
A graduate student pseudopatient whose memories contradicted the published account

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min