Some Psychological Mechanisms Operative in Gossip

12 The line here is a fine one, but legitimate rewards appear to be distinguishable from the "pay-off" on the following basis: if the individual views rewards as a necessary condition for the performance of a prescribed act, we are approaching the idea of the "deal"; if the individual views rewards as lagniappe, as a fortunate concomitant of duty, we are approaching legitimate positive sanctions. The important point is that when normative conformity is based on the principle of a favor for a favor, the individual is not subject to the critical social control of an internalized moral imperadaily life of the prison inmate, becomes a figure to be manipulated, coerced, and hoodwinked. It seems likely, therefore, that a major barrier to the rehabilitation of the adult criminal in a maximum security prison is to be attributed not only to the "unnaturalness" of his social environment and the lack of scientifically tested therapeutic devices but also to the corruption of the guard's authority in maintaining custody and discipline. Since these functions have long been held to be opposed to the aim of reformation, it would appear that a profound re-evaluation of the importance of these functions for the rehabilitation of the adult criminal is needed.