This paper examines the task and functioning of a contemporary mental institution. The author, drawing from his experience, explores the world within such an institution whose purpose often contradicts the officially stated one. This world with its own assumptions is a creation in response to needs and anxieties of its participants. In the face of rapid shifts and increasing complexity in institutional environments, the capability to change becomes critical. Real change is impossible unless the underlying assumptions of an institution are recognized, understood and dealt with.
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