Two drowning incidents in large municipal swimming pools were studied. In both, a similar process was observed in which an attempt was made to restore the “sentimental order” which had been fractured by the drownings. This was accomplished through discussion by staff members. This continued until a consensus was reached that generally absolved staff of blame and assigned it elsewhere. Two factors may have influenced this process in the incidences observed; the degree of outside validation, and the social value of the victims.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
SudnowD., Passing On: The Social Organization of Dying, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1967.
2.
GlaserB., and StraussA., Time for Dying, Aldine, Chicago, 1968.
3.
PineV., Caretaker of the Dead: The American Funeral Director, Halsted Press, New York, 1975.
4.
PineV., Grief Work and Dirty Work: The Aftermath of an Aircrash, Omega, 5, pp. 281–286, 1974.
5.
HershiserM. and QuarentelliE. L., The Handling of Death in a Disaster, Unpublished paper presented at American Sociological Association, New York, 1976.
6.
HarshbargerD., Picking up the Pieces, Omega, 5, pp. 55–59, 1974.
7.
GlaserB. and StraussA., The Social Loss of Dying Patients, American Journal of Nursing, 64, pp. 119–121, 1964.
8.
RothJ. A., Some Contingencies of the Moral Evaluation and Control of Clientele: The Case of the Hospital Emergency Service, American Journal of Sociology, 77, pp. 839–856, 1972.
