Plitar och fångar? Makten inom institutionsvård för vuxna missbrukare

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this thesis was to examine and analyze the power within institutional care for adult addicts. Questions which were raised concern the caregivers' approach to power, what power they use, the reactions they face and ultimately the strategies they use to legitimize the power towards clients. The method used was qualitative interviews with caregivers at treatment homes for adult addicts. These have mainly been analyzed on the basis of Weber's theory of power. The main result of this thesis suggests that the caregivers act with two goals in mind, total abstemiousness to drugs as well as effective treatment. This might be a disadvantage when speaking in terms of the ethical issues surrounding the clients' potential experience of violation. It is only goal focused actions that appear in the empirical material and the power elements of work include: drug testing, short term leave, restrictions in movement for the client, trying to influence the client to participate in the treatment and to influence the client to take personal responsibility. Research findings show that caregivers do not face that many counter-reactions, which may indicate that the exercise of power use is considered legitimate. The different approaches the caregivers use for legitimizing the exercise of power are: creating a relationship with the client, establishing contracts, trying to influence the client's interpretation of the power being used by the caregivers, elaborating the conditions when taking urine samples and using humor as a tool to defuse the situation.