Panopticism

Micheal Foucault’s writing about disciplinary houses show how their methods affect the human being to alter their way of thinking, their responsibility and role within society. Before modern society, houses of correction emerged to decrease unemployment and idleness. The asylum was born and began the trend of other disciplines developing their own houses to legitimise their practice i.e. the hospital.

Patients and inmates were subject to new forms of discipline. One method was to put an inmate under constant surveillance to make sure they began to act according to societal rules. Foucault’s ideal methods of discipline maintain the idea that a human being is acting properly when he is being his most useful. This can be achieved by observing him constantly which inadvertently controls his actions and improves his skills and behaviour.

Jeremy Bentham designed the panopticon in 1791. The panopticon is a housing design that allows scrutiny over anyone with the aim to experiment and reform it’s subjects. It’s design can be applied throughout society such as schools, hospitals and working offices to achieve a high level of productivity.

Foucault suggests that a transformation is occurring within western societies from a form of power imposed by a single ruler to a new form of power called panopticism. Panopticism produces self-monitoring societies that can maintain a level of productivity and obedience by themselves.

Foucault’s states that power is not a thing people have, it is a relation between individuals and groups and can only exist if it is being exercised. Disciplinary power relies on the capacity of resistance.