Mirrors of Madness depicts the social-psychological processes and institutional consequences of psychiatric staffs experience of "closet insanity" (private worries about theirown social and psychological competence) and "reverse role modeling" (identification with their labeled psychotic clients' public behavior).

The book shows how, in attempting to ward off the threat involved in these processes, staffs tend to be more vigilant of their own behavior while redirecting their insecurities toward their clients in the form of derogatory humor in psychiatric evaluations. These and other activities are shown to be inhibiting factors in the rehabilitative function of social control agencies.