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The authors apply the methods of social science research to the group and social milieu of the mental institution in an effort to study and elucidate various repetitive social and behavioral patterns occurring therein, for the broad purpose of improving the decisions and methods of administrative psychiatrists. This
paper, the first report of a broader project, concerns itself with the study of a specific and frequently seen problem, namely a nurse, attendant or doctor taking a special interest in a patient. This interest is usually met with raised eyebrows by other members of the staff who generally imply or express the interpretation of the existence of erotic or hostile impulses. Examination of a number of clinical instances of this 'syndrome' revealed a rather stereotyped pattern because in all cases there was found to be another staff member with views toward the patient which were the mirror-image of those of the first. A growing antagonism between these two nurses or other staff members, undiscussed and usually unrecognized by them, was always at the core of the difficulty. Bringing these differences into open discussion usually resulted in almost immediate evaporation of the involvement with the patient, with a consequent sharp improvement in his condition. The implications with regard to ward management are discussed.