Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
in forensic institutions *
Ulrich Kobbe
Abstract
The special hospital's concept of integrativediscoursehas to follow institutional Standards
which havebeen drawn up within " institutional psychotherapy ": It involves theorganizational
structurcand functioning of a special hospital not only in its external relationships hut also
andmoreimportantlywithrcgardto its intrainstitutional comprehension, i.e. thediscursive
development of
- non-hierarchical cooperative management structures and also
basically dcmocratic and transparent decision-making processes.
This structural view of the hospital policy Claims that the individuals of a collective cannot
be treated without a treatmcnt of this collective äs a whole with all its Subsystems and com-
plementary relationships.
Zusammenfassung
Jenseits ausschließender Diskurse in forensischen Institutionen
Schlüsselwörter
Analysis of the approaches to psychiatrie reform in West Germany in- The dialectic of individual and collective
dicates that there are typical interinstitutional developments and com-
plementary intrainstitutional trends within the field of tbrensic psychiatry: Both the intrainstitutional and interinstitutional exclusion mechanisms are
The interinstitutional policy of total institutions can be characterised in that the historic result of a pragmatic and order-related institutional policy
it functions on principles of excluding or defensive discourse. The spe- lacking any elaborated organizational theory or concrete therapeutic
cialization of psycliiatric institutions, and in particular here of special reasoning. On the one hand, a normalizing custodial discourse is to be
hospitals, tends to promote a negating form of institutional discourse which found in the old institutions, whilst on the other hand there is a risk of new
excludes all contents, patients, demands and institutions which do not seem psychological discourses in reform institutions with trends towards
to be absolutely congraent with the implicit and/or overt (psycho)therapeutic stractural or latent psychotherapeutic totalization (Kobbe 1992, 58-60;
concept. Feuling 1988, 43). Furthermore there is undoubtedly the risk tliat even
"psychoanalysis äs a fundamentally self-reflective process aimed at
hl concrete terms it is possible to describe the policies of both general emancipation ... during the course of its institutionalization" at the same
psychiatrie hospitals and penal institutions äs that they orten attempt to push time tends rather to reproduce "hierarchy and increasing downward
the responsibility for unruly, difficult or troublesome patients or inmates interdiction" (Fabricius 1990, 338).
onto others - a practice on which i.a. Schumann (1989, 5) reported. This
means that these institutions function in the same or analogously to the Particularly in order to prevent such negative dialectic reversals of the
transfer dynamics of their patients who project the responsibility or guilt reform it appears to us, beyond the use of an "emancipatory recogm'tion
away from themselves. theory" (Habermas) obliged meta-theory, to be essential furthennore tliat
the admitted patients cannot be treated äs individuals of a collective without
This development is without doubt also to be seen against the fact that the institution itself äs a whole being queried and treated äs a collective with
At this point, a brief comment should be made on other approaches to Particularly in special clinics, the specification of minimum conditions
institutional organization: The idea of a therapeutic Community is frequently wlüch an institution has to satisfy in order to be able to treat patients is of
proclaimed in widely differing forms also for forensic institutions, but major significance. It is - according to Oury (1991, 72-76) - essential tliat
seldom justifiably and far too often unjustifiably claimed (Nedopil & they do not crush the wishes of the subjects, particularly äs within the con-
Ottermann 1991). Furthermore it is often not recognized on the one band ventional institutions, alienating treatment and living conditions exist
that the idea of the therapeutic Community can only have significance under together with totally stereotype relationslüps in the form of rivalry,
the dynamic aspect of temporal development phases to give form to the aggressivity or behaviour tending towards paranoia. Such involvements
concept in the institution, and cannot be either a final actual state or a unavoidably result in monotonies wlüch lead üito the deadend of the "rigid
desired state, nor a rigid institutional structure. On the other hand, the idea practice" - Sartre would describe these äs "pratico-inert" situations. The
164 WsFPP l .Jg. (1994) H.l WsFPP l .Jg. (1994) H.l 165
ftinctioning of an Institution is consequently not possible without constant It requires:
theoretical evaluation which - according to Buchinger (1993, 67) - can only - differentiated discussions,
develop a constructive effect when it is compulsory and institutionalized - a graduated delegation and distribution of responsibilities,
within the clinic and, äs organizational self-reflection, is clearly distinguished - a wide availability of additional activities, and
from psychoanalytical self-reflection. - accompaniment by suitable supervision which, in turn, ensures tliat the
institutional activities are governed by reflective interpretation and not
The functioning of the institution can and must therefore only be under- by sanctions äs an expression of hierarchical power.
stood against the background of the Systems which make up the collective. What makes the therapeutic work in institutions so special is thus in
These Systems can be described in concrete terms äs strategy, information, particular the joint confrontation of patient and therapist with this symbolic
decision and psychotherapy Conferences which represent institutional institutional grammar, their growing consciousness and common cliange,
points of reference for the creation of the collective System of meanings äs far äs this is possible under the given conditions (Wulff 1971, 215).
and develop "complementary relationships" between one another. The
term "complementarity" appears to offer a good description of the And it is exactly tlüs that involves, by analogy, also the management of
dynamics of institutional groups äs the institutional fabric consists not of forensic institutions. The institution must therefore not be rigid or operate
a simple network of functional Systems but of a symbolically and according to a predetermined pattern; it must be queried and restructured
imaginarily underlaid ensemble of structured mechanisms which appear to in line with the Situation and development of the individual. Particularly
obey the laws of a "changing Gestalt". in view of the excluding discourse, this means tliat each group or institution
runs the risk of limiting the exchange with other groups, of placing itself
The policy of the institutional psychotherapy in a "uniform" and of negatively criticizing other institutions, areas of
treatment or fonns of therapy. Institutional psychotherapy is consequently
One of the basic rules of institutional psychotherapy is the permanent battle oriented to the recognition of the desirable difference and to the collective
against the small kingdoms or similarly isolated places in which pathogenic of the patients and staff which maintains a network of relationships through
Systems grow rampantly, particularly under enclosed conditions, and open, transparent and comprehensive exchange which must not function
which can become a source of collective hysteria (Oury 1991, 72-73). under limitations or covertly.
These initially self-centred Subsystems must be incorporated by different
ways and means into the development and dynamism of the collective äs The principle of openness for clianging and developing wishes implies an
a whole. But it is exactly this battle against local rigidity, however, which organizational pattera characterized by a polycentric network of decision-
often results in strains and conflicts to which the staff react according to making organs with limited responsibilities which, however, presupposes
their personal balance and flexibility and their ability to give up traditional a wide and open flow of information so tliat "tlüs complex institutional
roles. machinery does not run chaotically idle" (Hofmann 1983, 38). Against tlüs
background, the institution can and must declare its responsibility for all
The institutional organization of therapeutic work can consequently not be psychically ill offenders and must, on the other hand both accept inmates
separated from a generalized continuous organizational psychological from prison and reject harmless but troublesome patients from the general
view if we wish to avoid the absurd climate of many institutions with all psycliiatry. But not only this: Furtliennore, from tlüs understanding the
its imaginary demands, rivalries and artefacts. Under the assumption that üistitution must demand the responsibility of the general psycliiatry for
the individuals of a collective cannot be treated without treating the certain forensic patients and must try to implement this in the sense of local
collective äs a whole, this principle demands a series of basic institutional treatment principles.
conditions.
A precondition for such extramural demands, liowever, is a removal of
intramural exclusion practices, disparaging meclianisms, principles of
166 WsFPP l Jg. (l994) H. l WsFPP l Jg. (1994) H. l 167
arbitrariness. This is aimed at the narcissism of the institution already bis real desire, this "therapeutic vector" must be seen äs a desire for treat-
described through which the collective defence processes and their ment or for relationship since particularly in forensic psychiatry, a defen-
occurrence are determined: The lack of differentiation in the psychiatric sive battle for independence by the individual takes place against repressive
institutions lead to paranoid projections in which the other institutions are conditions which threatens to supersede the original and genuine desire and
seen äs persecuting omnipotent "others", insufficient distinctions are made in some cases is no longer identified äs an artetact in its legalization. But
between psychodynamism and institutional dynamism so that i.a. support it is exactly this genuine desire of the patient which justit'ies the existence
is given to predominant trends towards symbiotic team relationships. of the treatment collective in forensic psychiatry beyond the confinement
But exactly these dysrunctional defence mechanisms rnust be reconsidered order. This means tliat it is institutionally a question of justifying both ones
both with respect to the individual and to the collective and given up in own existence and the existence of the patient and of the institution, which
favour of conceptionally balanced, integrative worksharing, responsible is by no means selfexplanatory, äs a corrective (special) clinic is more
and self-reflective methods of relationships and treatment in the institution frequently a place of confinement and exclusion tlian a place of psy-
itself. chotherapeutic overtness.
The comprehensiveness of this conceptual presentation is given at this hi order to give more concrete form to these comments so rar it must be
point for two reasons: On the one liand, even the medical and psychological illustrateted by some of the basic principles of the current Situation and
specialists in forensic psychiatry are generally poorly equipped for the policy within the Westphalian Centre for Forensic Psychiatry Lippstadt.
confrontation of institutional and organizational problems, and their For something more tlian 6 months now, the institution has been in a state
training has often given them defence Systems which they allow to seize of tlux insofar äs the prevalent myth that "we are all one big family" has
in recognized roles and which easily become "rusty" even within the been demystified and a new understanding of institutional procedures and
collective (Oury 1991, 70). (infra)structures lias been introduced. This lias meant in particular that the
On the other band, psychodynamically trained doctors and psychologists decisions on relaxation of the controls and 011 approvals or non-approvals
in particular make two mistakes in institutions which Buclünger (1993) of other kinds has now been delegated äs competences for decision-making
recently pointed out in a long article: They tend to confüse psychodyamism and responsibility back to the departmental heads. Tlüs means we are now
and institutional dynamism äs well äs regarding the organized Professional in a deliberately induced process of forced democratization of the
groups in the institutions äs one family in which motivating encouragement institution.
and emotionalrelief canbe found. Inorder to overcome suchmisconceptions,
Buchinger pleads for a strict Separation of the two very different levels of This naturally results in conflicts with respect to communication,
reality and describes institutions äs "non-trivial machines" which exhibit demarcation, roles and competences äs the delegation of responsibility
a high degree of complexity and pursue an objective logic which cannot be must, at the same time, also have a considerable effect on the processes
adequately described either psychodynamically or familialistically. It is of decision-making within the treatment areas. This also involves the fact
more important to learn to think and act in structures and not only in persons already described above that an institution must, from the point of view of
and relationships, i.e. to also train and establish an organizational self- organizational psychology, have different levels or hierarchies of decision-
reflection. taking, tliat contents cannot be discussed at will with all the staff or patients
and that certain contents have their clearly defined place.
It is particularly in this respect tliat the approach of institutional psychotherapy
appears to us to be important in which the concrete individual is abstracted Such principles presuppose the institutional resistance to the temptation of
and the patient is regarded e.g. äs an individual fbllowing a vector. exercising hierarchical power by monopolization of infonnation, by direct
Particularly äs the desire of the legally committed patient very often masks instructions or by sanctioning controls, i.e. they require the assurance of
168 Wsl-PP I.Jg. (1994) H. l WsFPP l .Jg. (1994) I I . l 169
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Annotations
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Dipl.-Psych. U. Kobbe
Westf. Zentrum für Forensische Psychiatrie Lippstadt
Eickclbornstr.21
D-59556 Lippstadt