Inmates are often viewed as dangerous and deviant offenders who challenge the 'rational' structure of institutional operations, and the correctional officer is expected to behave in a controlling and authoritative manner and to force inmates into a posture of obedience and submission. If, however, inmates are viewed as fellow human beings with emotional and personality needs, then the correctional officer should be expected to cultivate positive and nurturing interpersonal relationships with them. These divergent perspectives of the inmate produce apparent contradictory expectations of the correctional guard in his/her job. The result is a role conflict as the officer attempts to gain a high rating in performance evaluations. An officer finds it impossible to score highly on both custody-oriented and treatment-oriented skills. The tendency, therefore, is for the officers to try and determine which skills are given the highest priority by a particular administration and to regulate their performance accordingly. Seventeen references are provided.