Games People Play

The New York Times reports on hhow the patients and others in the hospital can play interesting games to resist power, show their feelings, and take command:

So by opting to break the dress code and wear civvies, my pajama-clad patient was making more than just an aesthetic statement. She was sending her flare of insurgency across the bow of the mighty ship of institutional health care. She was notifying us that she did not intend to go along with the parade, the basic hey-everybody-let's-do-what-they-say ethos that is the organizing principle of hospital care.

But, with her flannels and patterned quilt, she was also letting us know that she would be calling all the shots. Here was the deal: She was to be the charming hostess, dressed in this or that, always ready for an enjoyable chat.

We then were to be not exactly doctors but friends, guys who happened to be in the neighborhood, maybe from the next dorm over. And, oh yes, there was no need for any particular commotion, no need to discuss the untidy details of her underlying illness or current infection.