Sagatun

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Summary:

 In today´s society, numerous of previous challenges are mastered, while new and other risks, threats and uncertainties paradoxically have emerged. The societal development implies greater demands on the individual, concerning one´s own responsibility, ability of making important choices and shaping one's own life. This development, towards what has been characterised as a risk society, might harm already vulnerable groups more than others. This study, which is a result of a research cooperation between Hedmark University College, Norway (Høgskolen i Hedmark) and the user-organisation Mental Health Hedmark, explores how societal changes towards the risk society might affect people with mental disabilities. The research approach builds on co-operative inquiry, where college researchers and participants from Mental Health constitute a ’community of inquiry’.

Empirical data has been collected through three multistage focus group interviews, thereafter analysed qualitatively and presented as five main themes: Change and uncertainty emphasizes the rapid societal processes, creating uncertainty and stress. Society appears at the same time more importunate (i.e. through unavoidable background music in shops, etc) and more remote (i.e. through telephone contacts via call-centers far away). Psychical problems and and societal obstacles, meaning that society has turned more and more abstract and hard to handle, bureaucratic and administratively dominated. Not least is this the case in relation to the NAV-system (The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration). Lack of stable and durable personal contacts creates mistrust. The chances to get into working life are limited. Technological developments imply both limitations and new options. It might be difficult to grasp the rapid technological changes and thereby to take advantage of growing possibilities, concerning for instance information and communication. Individualisation and loneliness focuses modern society´s paradoxical demand on each individual, to ’shape his/her own world’ and at the same time stay within the borders of normality.
Contacts with social welfare and care organisations tend to be more and more rare and impersonal, and the communication sometimes is hard to comprehend. To cope with the every-day life and (to create) meaning will in such a society be increasingly important. Belonging to working-life is one essential component, affinity to the ’community’ Mental Health is another, characterised by trust, user participation and adjusted help and care. The study shows that the theoretical concept risk society – characterised by rapid societal changes, uncertainty, lack of borders, danger and weakened trust – correspond to real experiences which can be identified in the focus group interviews. Our assumption that changes on the societal level might especially affect vulnerable groups is thereby strengthened. At the same time, there are potential positive consequences, for instance through technological development and adapted working conditions. The way towards an alternative community, like Mental Health, might compensate for the feeling of loneliness and alienation experienced by many, and thereby establishes a resisting-power to society´s increasing focus on individuality.