THE FUNCTIONS OF SPACE

This paper describes a participant observation study carried out on a ward for elderly functionally ill people in a large psychiatric hospit al in the Midlands, England. My initial interest was in observing the process of institutionalization, and attempts made to counter this pro cess. As the project developed I became interested in four specific cu ltural domains: the use of space, particularly the ward office; the re lationship between ward staff and 'outsiders' or 'others'; the functio ns 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 l ine of research might be extended, and that a synthesy between sociolo gical insight and group dynamic theory might offer a fruitful way forw ard.