title: The functions of space.
abstract: This paper describes a participant observation study carried out on a ward for elderly functionally ill people in a large psychiatric hospital in the Midlands, England. My initial interest was in observing the process of institutionalization, and attempts made to counter this process. As the project developed I became interested in four specific cultural domains: the use of space, particularly the ward office; the relationship between ward staff and 'outsiders' or 'others'; the functions of staff handovers; and the characteristics of the physical setting. In my conclusions I describe the relationship between space and the use of space, and the structure of authority and communication on the ward and between the ward and the 'outside world'. I also discuss the functions of handover in terms of the transfer of responsibility, and the psychological process which, it seems to me, underlines the split between 'good' and 'bad' others. I suggest the possibility that this line of research might be extended, and that a synthesy between sociological insight and group dynamic theory might offer a fruitful way forward.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McMahon
mesh_terms: D001318:Authoritarianism; D003142:Communication; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D006272:Health Facility Environment; D006778:Hospitals, Psychiatric / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010550:Personal Space; D010564:Personnel, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D012380:Role