  In 1975 French philosopher Michael Foucault wrote a chapter about "Panopticism" in his book Discipline and Punish.  In this chapter Foucault builds on Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon. In Bentham's Panopticon he introduced an idea for a prison in which a large tower is encircled by individual cells. According to his idea, perfect discipline can be achieved by making the people in the cells think they are always being watched. Foucault's builds on this idea, which was originally for a prison, and applies the train of thought to schools, hospitals, and manufacturing environments. Foucault's theme in Panopticism focuses on a population being controlled by indirect methods without even knowing they are being controlled. This method of control can be executed by governments, bosses, supervisors or just society as a whole. This idea of always being watched causes individuals to always adhere to the rules for fear of having their disobedience discovered and thus being controlled instills discipline. This idea is most prevalent and in its purist form within the United States military. This theme has had a profound impact in my personal life along with both positive and negative impacts. 

Foucault says that " Military discipline is no longer a mere means of preventing looting, desertion or failure to obey orders among the troops; it has become a basic technique to enable the army to exist, not as an assembled crowd, but as a unity that derives from this very unity an increase in its forces; discipline increases the skill of each individual, coordinates these skills, accelerates movements, increases fire power, broadens the fronts of attack without reducing their vigour, increases the capacity for resistance, etc. The discipline of the workshop, while remaining a way of enforcing respect for the regulations and authorities, of preventing thefts or losses, tends to increase aptitudes, speeds, output and therefore profits; it still exerts a moral influence over behaviour, but more and more it treats actions in terms of their results, introduces bodies into a machinery, forces into an economy."(Foucault 251)  This statement is probably the best statement to describe the institution that shows Panopticism the best to today's world. The military represents the idea Panopticism from the top to the bottom. The military rank structure best, we are taught from the very beginning to look out for the man next you or the every one is a safety. From the top to the bottom everyone watches everyone else, and this forms the panoptic structure. The panoptic idea, the rank structure, and implications teach us to avoid any action that might be deemed worthy of punishment by those in authority. This idea affects every aspect of my life due to the environment in which I have worked; the military.

The whole very structure of the military is based upon and held together by Panopticism as Foucault pointed out. A prime example of this idea is the case of my future brother-in-law. He is a newly graduated private from basic training. When his sister, a seasoned soldier, went to visit him, he was afraid to leave post with her. His reasoning was that he was afraid of getting in trouble. The drill sergeants that he was assigned to had managed to convince him that they were ever-present and always watching. Another situation in which I have seen this concept at work is during my time on active duty. The military tells soldiers not to send any classified information about their deployment to loved ones back home. The punishment for this offense is vague and unknown yet soldiers abide by the rule. The reason for this is the belief that the military has implanted in their minds. They are taught that 'Big Brother Army' monitors their letters, phone calls and even social media. This may or may not be true but it is highly unlikely that the Army reads every letter and Facebook post. 

The use of Panopticism can be negative or positive; it has been both in my military experience. I have been on the receiving end of the treatment but I have also used it as a tool to discipline my own soldiers. The system can be quite effective and put to good use in certain situations such as the military. However, there is a lot of room for misuse if executed by someone who means their population harm or desires too much control. If used too broadly, Panopticism can hinder the development of basic common sense which is often the downfall of many soldiers. 
