The author is indebted to Joseph Ben-David, Morris Janowitz, Gerald Suttles, Barry Schwartz, Barbie Zelizer, Steve Dubin, Michael Dubinsky, and two anonymous readers whose comments on previous drafts were tremendously helpful in revising and refining the arguments presented here. The MMI and NCDA''s staffs and patients proved most cooperative and helpful in carrying out the research. The author wishes to acknowledge his deepest gratitude to Jordan Scher, a warm and kind existentialist, without whose continuous help, support, and encouragement this work would have never been possible. Grants from the Department of Sociology, University of Chicago and the Faculty of Social Sciences at The Hebrew University made the writing of this report possible.