Twenty-seven members of staff working in special types of housing in Sweden narrated 95 narratives about their experience of being in problematic situations during the working day. The narratives were interpreted using a phenomenological-hermeneutic approach inspired by the philosophy of Ricoeur. The narratives mainly concerned interactions with colleagues and very few narratives concerned interactions with residents and relatives. On the relationship level of communication there is evidence that many interactions among the staff, residents and relatives were of a receptive and disconfirming nature. The results indicate that the staff feel lonely, and struggled to maintain self-esteem and to be confirmed.

Artikeln redovisar en studie av ett interventionsförsök för att förbättra samarbetet mellan social omsorgs- och vårdpersonal inom äldre- och handikappomsorgen. Interventionen bestod av systematiska gruppdiskussioner med etiskt innehåll. I den delstudie som här redovisas visas att gruppkulturen påverkar möjligheterna att lyckas med interventionen. Detta resultat diskuteras i artikeln med hjälp av Wilfred Bions gruppteori.