Limiting Intrusion—Social Control of Outsiders in a Healing Community

Abstract

The analytic scheme of “limiting intrusion” was generated in this study, using research strategies that involved direct contact with subjects under natural living conditions. Data were collected in an experimental treatment community for diagnosed schizophrenics, where conventional psychiatric control structures are muted and denied. Approximately 200 hours of field observation, in-depth interviews with staff members, and documents related to the setting formed the data base. Qualitative comparative analysis is presented in detail to emphasize its relevance to theory building in nursing science.