A degradation ceremony is an aspect of the socialisation process within total institutions, such as prisons, military boot camps, and mental hospitals, in which people are subjected to humiliating rituals and procedures designed to strip away their existing identities and self-concepts. The purpose of these ceremonies is to break down the individual's sense of self and replace it with an identity that is more compliant with the rules and expectations of the institution. These rituals can involve public shaming, the confiscation of personal belongings, the assignment of dehumanizing labels, and the enforcement of strict rules and routines that leave little room for individual expression or autonomy. The degradation ceremony marks the individual's entry into the total institution and signals the beginning of their resocialisation into the institutional culture. By systematically undermining the individual's former identity, the institution aims to create a blank slate upon which a new, institutionally defined identity can be inscribed. This process is a key mechanism through which total institutions maintain control and order over their populations.