The seeds of disaster

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the dynamics of communities which decline and die.

Design/methodology/approach

The example of the Marlborough Day Hospital in the 1970s is used and analysed as a form of fieldwork.

Findings

It was found that the demise of the community can be traced to ambiguities in the attitudes to authority on which the development of the community was based in the first place.

Practical implications

The demise of a therapeutic community is a common occurrence, and often attributed to the unfriendly attentions of some outside agency. But the paper explores the possibility that certain internal dynamics within the community need examination as well as the relations to the outside world, and the hosting organisation.

Originality/value

The findings add to the importance of understanding the dynamics of therapeutic communities, not just for their therapeutic benefit, but for the survival of the community itself.

Citation

Hinshelwood, R.D. (2012), "The seeds of disaster", Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, Vol. 33 No. 2/3, pp. 86-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/09641861211291568