Resistance as Manifested in Case Work Situations by Ten Schizophrenic Patients in the Trial Visit Program of the Veterans Administration, New York Regional Office

Background of the Study. As a student of the Fordham University School of Social Service working for the degree of Master of Social Service, the author secured placement in the Veterans Administration as a social worker participating in the Trial Visit Supervision Program. Trial Visit Supervision is designed for Neuropsychiatric patients who have been released from the hospital. They are supervised by trained psychiatric social workers pending their discharge upon satisfactory completion of a period of adjustment. During the course of this field work it was noticed that there seemed to be marked resistance manifested by these patients. Discussion in Dissertation Seminar, around this resistance, suggested that there seemed to be, not only resistance to authority wherein the agency as a government agency and the social worker as a representative of the agency symbolized real or distorted authority as seen from the point of view of the patient, but also, resistance to social service as such, the type of program offered and the services rendered. Fear of returning to the hospital and fear of a government agency sometimes seemed to cause this resistance to be manifested as conformity as opposed to cooperation. Resistance to authority, social service, type of program and services rendered was sometimes manifested in refusal to accept services and to cooperate in planning. It was also realized that in many cases, resistance would be the normal reaction of the patient, incorporated as part of his illness. Further discussion revealed that it was feasible to look for types of resistance and whatever implications they may show which would affect casework services in the Trial Visit Program in which the author was participating