'Psychological Governance’, Nuns and the 'Wayward Girl'

A series of pieced-together extracts from a series of articles regarding certain religious houses for ‘morally wayward girls’ that existed through the 1950s and even up until the 1970s, offering “shelter and guidance to vulnerable girls and women.”

“The Sisters and courts working together decided when a girl was ready to leave the Home, but since the courts in turn relied on the Mother Supior's recomendations, her word was effectively law" and woe betide the girl who threatened the status quo - or who she took a shine to!
"Security and rehabilitation were big issues. The girls could not be trusted and neither could the outside world. To prevent residents from seeing the outside world and leaving the Home, locked doors and opaque glass had been installed behind barred windows, barbed wire fences, and alarm systems. There was no television, nor radio; listening to music was allowed, though the girls weren’t allowed to listen to male voices. [At mealtimes] the girls [were obliged to maintain] silence as they entered the dining room and sat down. Two nuns supervised lunch from an elevated platform and they frequently used the time to read and censor the girls' mail. In the dormitory, [each girl’s] toiletries [had to be kept] lined up with precision, with each item being assigned a specific placement.

Though these measures appeared harsh for some; for others, it offered protection and safety and enabled to them to concentrate on [rehabilitation]. In the sewing room, the girls and nuns made school uniforms, all clothing being [marked with a number, designating the individual girl.].”

From another source we hear of the “unfortunate necessity” to employ “certain drastic measures and remedies [in order] to control the risk of the introduction and spread of head lice”. And that although “alternatives were available and marketed at very little expense”, a preventative approach was to be preferred and “conferred certain other advantages”. The article goes on to guardedly hint at these ‘advantages’ pertaining to “good order and discipline” and to “the three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience”. We are left in blissful, blameless ignorance as to the details of these ‘unfortunate’ “drastic measures and remedies” and their ramifications – but we might hazard a guess.

Here again there is mention of the importance of an “emphasis on silence as a means of focussing attention on God”, “frugality in all things” and the provision of what is described as a “bare ‘maintenance diet’ – sufficient to keep from losing weight, yet [insufficient] t o risk encouraging the sin of gluttony with its associated unwarranted weight gain”. This particular institution was said to have “embodied regimented discipline”, imposed “extreme restriction on freedom of movement and privacy” and to have “embraced a culture of petty rules and restrictions” that “limited to the extreme [the] opportunities [for] forming personal one to one relationships between inmates”. The emphasis throughout was “one of conformity” with a “reliance on corporal punishment [for the maintenance] of discipline and good order”.

Elsewhere, albeit regarding an entirely separate establishment, it is somewhat enigmatically stated that “…the more closely [the institution] is modelled on the judicious application of the principle of psychological governance, the more salutary will be its discipline, and the fewer occasions will arise for resort to actual [physical] punishment”.

What this cryptic ‘principle of psychological governance’ might have consisted of is not expanded upon. However, it is noteworthy that in the same pamphlet it goes on to state that: “…any physical chastisement [may] consist of moderate childish punishment with the hand or punishments with the cane, strap, or birch” and that “only a light cane or rod [should] be used for the purpose of corporal punishment inflicted on an open palm”. Certain orders of nuns had experience of setting up and governing correctional facilities for women stretching back three hundred years or more, so one may assume that they knew what they were doing when it came to exercising control – psychological or otherwise – and that any young woman, however blameless, once delivered in to their hands would have quickly come to the conclusion that defiance was not an option. Nor was the likelihood of absconding particularly buoying, as I am given to understand it – after all the nuns had had time aplenty to refine the security precautions surrounding their ‘sanctuary for wayward young women’. And security was essential if they were to protect a young woman from further sin – even if (particularly if, some would say) that ‘sin’ or ‘moral infraction’ amounted to little more than having run from a craftily manipulative stepparent, an intolerably overbearing governess or a cruelly exploitative and equally manipulative guardian or indeed just having foolhardily rejected certain amorous advances.

One should never lose sight of that old “Victorian propensity to commit errant wives and stepdaughters to the asylum at the drop of a hat (or at the hint of an inheritance)”. And often a charitable donation made to such an institution spoke volumes, certainly carrying as much weight, if not more, than a learned doctor’s opinion (although the latter could be easily enough swayed if one had sufficient influence). There seems little doubt that certain of these ecclesiastical ‘shelters’ may well have fulfilled a similar purpose, a simple statement attesting to the poor thing’s ‘hysterical instability’, propensity to ‘overwrought imaginings’ and ‘delusion and derangement’ being enough to ensure that none would pay heed to any objections, accusations or entreaties the pretty, doe-eyed teenager might voice. Some mention of sexual impropriety included in the documentation, and a ‘well appointed’ buxom teenager could be assured a very hard time indeed under the reforming hand of the Mother Superior. And of course there was the added attraction of the possibility of visitation and the knowledge that any complaints, especially as such became - as they were sure to over time - more insistent and hysterical, would simply be recorded as yet more evidence of “the poor thing’s mental aberration”; more evidence to be recounted to the governors of the local asylum when the time came, should that be her guardian’s or stepmother’s wish.

The nun’s own isolation was sacrosanct and they had not been averse to adopting new modern ways over time to ensure it remained so. Similarly, it seems they had not been fazed when it came to applying modern methods to wielding the rigid control over their charges they deemed necessary in order to protect the more defiant, incorrigible and diffident of their young inmates ‘from themselves’ and once again one’s imagination is stimulated to muse over the cryptic use of that term; ‘psychological governance’.

Now, That is What I Call Domination! Or is it? Discuss! (Part 1)

See last post for explanation (but read this bit first as the last posting follows on from it)

In the comments section a couple of posts ago 'imreadonl2' wrote something interesting that caught my attention, whetted my appetite and got the ball rolling - now lets see where it rolls to:

'imreadonl2' wrote “The wonder of "institutionalization" is the way that it quickly destroys a girl's identity and sense of self.

Attending classes, eating with the other girls in the mess hall, sleeping next to them in the dorm, wearing your smart uniform, with the tie knotted tightly and your white socks straight, toeing the line. Guilty-or-not, it is soon impossible think of yourself as anything but "one of the girls."

And then there are the little indignities, which taken together, add up to a crushing weight: being addressed by your last name, being scolded for slouching, or being swatted across the behind and accused of "dallying" when you pause to chatter with your friends.

Relentlessly belittled and corrected, your self-esteem rapidly erodes. You come to think of yourself as "incorrigible" and "delinquent", the memory of your past accomplishments and accolades fading as rapidly as a forgotten dream.

You hate it when the Headmaster brings tour groups thru while you're in the shower, and feel humiliated as you feel the male visitor's eye's roam freely up and down your naked body. You comfort yourself that they don't you, or, to be more accurate, who you once were, and now see you only as what you (in your heart) now know that you are, just another naked delinquent justly and properly sentenced to an indefinite term of strict reformatory discipline.

I reply:

"Hi, 'imreadonly2'! That's an interesting analysis of the concept of the destruction (I prefer 'erosion' for some reason) of “a girl's identity and sense of self.” But it does bring up a couple of issues. For example, take the phrase; '...pause to chatter with [her] friends.'

This partial phrase in itself raises two questions in my mind. (1) Should a detainee be allowed sufficient latitude to form close relationships in the first place and (2) should inter-detainee 'chatter' be allowed under any circumstances, whatever form it might take? Imagine the sense of isolation suffered by the poor thing if surrounded by a cohort of others yet disallowed from communicating directly with any of them in any manner, under the continual threat of the cane or the strap for any slip – or indeed one of several subtle psychological punishments of even greater corrective efficacy. Surely far more psychologically stressful – if lovingly instigated, supervised, and with sufficient attention to detail - than simple solitary confinement?

The part about a subject “relentlessly belittled and corrected” resulting in rapid erosion of self-esteem and the subject coming to think of herself as "incorrigible" and "delinquent" is interesting, although I'm not fond of the terms “incorrigible" and "delinquent" in this context – 'inferior' or 'inept' might be more apt terms. As for “...the [the subject's] memory of past accomplishments and accolades fading as rapidly as a forgotten dream.” Yes, this would seem a worthwhile outcome to be expected of such a regimen. I seem to think that both aspects have been explored - both social isolation and continual belittling and correction - have been employed in a psychological research context in the past. The latter belittling and correction approach could indeed be applied quite subtly given the right context, so subtly and gradually that the subject herself might not be consciously aware of what is happening to her even as her personality is being remodeled according to someone else's template.

Now that. I think, is real domination!

On the right: The Finished Article? (Actually, just how right is this pic? Fantastic? Certainly got me thinking! If only her hands were in the prayer position it would be perfection - it's that close! Taken, or re-blogged or whatever you'd like to call it, from Cornertime for naughty girls, just click pic to visit - highly recommended!)

Now, That is What I Call Domination! Or is it? Discuss! (Part 2)

I am currently sitting, working through my email pile in an Enfield (North London) coffee bar (Neros – it has free WiFi but too many screaming babies). In writing terms I am 'high and at the moment having self-forbidden alcohol for medical reasons (? alcoholic peripheral neuropathy) and if not for that selfsame email burden would have been otherwise left completely devoid of inspiration. As it is the though has suddenly struck me that it might be instructive and inspirational to all concerned if I were to more widely disseminate a dialog that seems to have developed between regular contributor, 'imreadonly2' and yours truly.

Partly this is a reiteration of some part of the comments section of an earlier post, partly it is taken from an email correspondence occasioned by the aforementioned contributor having found himself falling foul of some sort of quota limitation or other technical problem relating to the comments section.

All this I shall shortly post in two parts – this being part 2 - taking the most recent last so that it reads in a linear fashion and thus the flow of ideas is a more natural, intuitive one. The idea is that it should become an ongoing interaction, with all and sundry joining, thus stimulating imagination, ideas and creativity all round. I also hope to add some suitable pics as we go along – perhaps retrospectively.

Continued: See post immediately above.

'imreadonl2' wrote: “Whether "chatter" (and friendships) are allowed between the inmates is an interesting point, worthy of some discussion.

Total social isolation for long periods leads inexorably to insanity, so although isolation can be used for punishment, some form of social interaction is required. This was discovered at Eastern State Penitentiary when the Quakers introduced a reform system based on prayer and solitary confinement in the 18th century, and the inmates went mad.

I prefer a mixed model. When the girls are working in the mill, or in the plantation fields harvesting the crops, chatter is considered a distraction from work, and is punished.

However, the reformatory itself is run like a strict boarding school, and the girls (all over 18, or in their 20's or 30's) are allowed to "chatter" between classes, and during sports and such. But such communication is not pleasure, but rather a means to an end.

All communications are closely monitored, both thru a series of well compensated stoolies and prefects, and thru surveillance devices the girls are entirely unaware of. Friendships are allowed to form, but can easily be broken down when the surveillance is used to convince one of the girls that her ersatz "friend" has betrayed her to the Headmaster. Feeling betrayed, the girl becomes even more socially isolated and alone, and dependent on the direction of her masters.

Teasing and bullying is encouraged, both to break down the spirit of the girls, and as part of the social order to keep the girls inline, as it allows the girls to largely police themselves. A "good" girl can become the lesbian bitch of a tougher inmate, and then be punished by her fellow inmates gang for the misdeeds she refuses to, and by the authorities in charge for the crimes she does reluctantly commit (including the forced lesbianism itself). Placing the "good" girl in such an impossible situation quickly erodes her sense of righteousness, and gradually convinces her that the court's sentence of delinquency was in fact entirely justified.

Your point is you prefer incompetence to delinquency, but that can be accomplished as well. A girl who is particularly pretty may be fitted with dental braces, with head gear that must be worn 24/7, giving her a lisp. Another girl may be given special exercises for her "chicken legs" or an especially distasteful diet to help her "manage her weight." A young woman good at math can be placed in a Latin class; a former doctor may be made to scrub bedpans in the ward, where her medical advice is pointedly ignored. Or perhaps she is given a diuretic that makes her wet the bed, and is then made to wear a sailor's cap, and a sign that says "Sailor Sandy" for the next week, so she can be teased by the other girls.

The young woman may or may not be aware of the psychological underpinnings of what is being done to her, but understanding it will make it all the more painful. Slowly, inexorably, she will feel herself slipping away… ”

I Forgot the Title

Hi people! I've been writing most of today, which is a promising sign, though I'm still suffering badly with tingling (like nettle rash - without the rash) forearms and hands (mainly the backs) of which more next time. Last time I reported having removed 'britishspankingmags' from the sidebar blog list and that the site no longer held any content in any case. Today I had reason to search around on the internet and I have now located ‘British Spanking Magazines’ alive and well on Blogspot at http://britishspankingmagazines.blogspot.com/.

Running "stories from old spanking mags, such as Blushes, Roué [my correction], Janus, Februs, Swish, Kane etc" and published "In memory of Alex Birch" it promises to be both an important resource and a refresher course in all that helped form my interests through that important period, the 1980s, and that went on to inspire and inform my own writing. In fact almost the first thing to greet my eyes was one of my all-time fave pics from that powerhouse of the genre, 'Uniform Girls' (see above and just click pic to visit the blog, or look for the link in the sidebar blog list).

That 'Favicon' Thing - A Short (very) Update

I have just removed the link to the blog 'British Spanking Mags' from my sidebar blog list to get rid of the 'Favicon' password pop-up as the blog itself seems to have largely evaporated in terms of content in any case. I have also removed 'BT's Erotic Fiction' as a broken link. I think the latter has moved to Wordpress so if I come across it I'll reinstate a link to it. Meanwhile I am working on trying to fairly quickly convert the commissioned piece I wrote back last summer into a short book or novel of some kind before returning my attention to the volume 1 cover redesign I started and a cover for the new book (if I get it done) before looking for work of some sort.

Oh, and I came upon a couple of clips from the original film of the 'Pride of Miss Jean Brodie'. Now the thing about this film, in terms of inspiring and influencing my modest little novels and developing certain of the ideas behind them, was not so much the film itself but an article I once came across way back in the mid-seventies in a magazine dated 1969. The article had been about the making of the film and detailed the fact that the principle actresses playing the girls were all around 18 - 19 years of age at the time and how spending all day in those school uniforms, day after day, affected how they began to feel about themselves (loss of confidence, feeling sheepish, uncertain and what have you) and the way in which others on the set tended to treat and address them. I seem to recall mention of the set and studio canteen ladies tending to develop a condescending and patronising attitude to them for example. (I have mentioned this before someplace, I am sure - try using the blog archive search facility near the top of the sidebar on the right hand side.)

That Anoying Pop-Up Box: What is a 'Favicon'? From Whence does it Come?

Thanks to all who have been in contact for the messages of support! I am not entirely 'back' yet – not yet firing on both barrels – but I think I'm on the road to recovery. At least I have been able to summon up enough enthusiasm to play around with the idea of a redesign for the cover of INSTITUTIONALISED Vol 1. I'll be the first to admit that the layout of these two early offerings are somewhat... how should we say?... crap! (Perhaps 'confused' would be a kind comment) But at least I'm making a start.

In case anyone out there is wondering, by the way: Yes I was on antidepressants many years ago (early 80s and early – mid 90s) but they didn't ever seem to do anything other than give me a dry mouth and, on occasion, an upset stomach. The last time I got really bad -
back in 2001 when my dad was busy dying and I was trying to stagger on with my PhD (I had just lost my gran,too) - I discovered that (apart from beer) the herb, St Johns wort, seemed to help, albeit at several times the recommended dose! I usually fall back on the ale but booze is not really an option this time; indeed, I fear I may have already damaged my nervous system. Certainly there are hints of alcoholic peripheral neuropathy.

Now: If you are finding you are encountering pop-up box popping demanding some sort of password please ignore it. it is not of my making and I don't know where it has come from. You can close the box by clicking on the 'X' in the top right hand corner as you would any other dialogue box and then proceed as normal to read the blog, leave comments or whatever. Unfortunately this 'password box sometimes opens again, but it does so a maximum of 3 times. So if you find yourself obliged to close it again, please have patience and do so in the same manner, while taking comfort in the fact that the third time is always lucky in this case. But I have to admit that it really is annoying nonetheless!

The trouble is, I am at present unsure as to how to get rid of the bloody thing. As far as I can gather it is due to the author of one of the blogs that my blog houses a link to having set up some sort of 'hotlink' to something or other called a 'Favicon' whatever that is – I fervently wish he or she hadn't!

Something similar has happened before. But the last time it occurred it did so immediately following my having added a couple of blogs to my 'bog role' and so was easy to track down. Then it proved to have something to do with certain of the 'Thumbloger' blogs I had added - which is why all the 'Thumbloger' blogs are now listed in their own section of the sidebar, in a manner that allows no direct link back which is why there is no mention of their latest update nor any thumbnail, logo or what have you - as one might ordinarily expect to see in a conventional 'blog role'. On this occasion, though, there are few clues as to this annoyance's origination. This time it just seems to have manifested from thin air;; certainly I have added no new blogs to my blog role for very many
months. Because of the latter I am at a loss as to how to track down the culprit... any ideas out there?

An Update and a Money-Off Offer

I know it has been a long while, but I have been sick - more psychologically than physically, but more of that in my next posting. For now I just wanted to draw attention to this limited period promotion that the online book seller, LULU, is running. Meanwhile I have begun a reworking of the cover of INSTITUTIONALISED volume 1 (as I have never liked it, but wasn't capable of much else at the time) and also have begun reading / answering my emails (after many weeks of being unable to face as much as turning on the computer) as a gentle way of easing myself back into things.

Purchase any of my INSTITUTIONALISED titles with 30% off with coupon code FEBRUARYCART305GBP

Simply use the coupon code FEBRUARYCART305GBP at checkout and receive 30% off INSTITUTIONALISED or any other available title on Lulu.com. Maximum savings with this promotion is £50 You can only use the code once per account, (but you can make multiple titles / purchases at that time). This coupon works in US Dollars, Pounds and Euros and I think (but I am not sure) you can buy other author's work and other stuff with it too!

THIS GREAT OFFER ENDS ON 19 FEBRUARY 2012 AT 11:59 PM SO TRY NOT TO PROCRASTINATE! (They said that, not me!).