Social psychologists have devoted many studies to the mental climate, morale or 'satisfaction' of group-members within coinpany or firm or the army. These studies are of ten intended to determine the relation between morale and output. Beside this, attention is also paid to the significante of 'satisfaction' as an independent value in itself. Within the psychiatrie hospital the degree of satisfaction and the 'output', that is the number of entirely or sufficiently recovered patients per time-unit, will also be related. Yet, as an independent value, the satisfaction in the psychiatrie hospital seems, especially for the resident patients, to he more important than 'satisfaction' as a basis for an increased output.
In this exploratory investigation a number of facts and presumptions have rome to light which are a guide-line for further research. An inquiry among psychiatrie patients deranged in different degrees appears to be possible and to produce significant results.
The most important presumption raised in our investigation is the potential relation existing between the critical opinion of patients about all kinds of conditions, events, persons and matters, and the degree in which these motivators and dissatifiers are of importante for their satisfaction about the situation they are in. The more important a motivator or dissatifier is for his state of satisfaction, the less critical his opinion seems to be.
In a follow-up of this investigation we hope to be able to elaborate those factors that contribute to the experience of 'satisfaction' or 'dissatisfaction' in a psychiatric patient.