The Sailor Aboard Ship: A Study of Role Behavior in a Total Institution

Abstract

The Naval vessel at sea is described as a total institution of the type that justifies itself on instrumental grounds. The structure and function of the formal and informal shipboard organizations, and the expectations therein of the role of the sailor, are discussed. Special attention is given to the processes by which the individual is assimilated into the shipboard society, and to his behavioral modifications of the expected role.