Thesis-1993-Byrt.pdf (17.94 MB)
Download fileConsumer involvement in mind: a study of participation in a voluntary organisation for mental health
thesis
posted on 2018-05-24, 09:01 authored by Richard ByrtThe thesis is a study of consumer participation, focussing on a case study
of MIND. Data were collected from interviewing, participant observation
and examination of records. The following are the main conclusions.
In order to understand consumer participation, and effectively to increase
it, it is necessary to be aware of: the different types of such
involvement; the extent to which it includes opposition or collaboration
with people in authority; the various types of participant; and the levels
and degrees of participation. Levels vary from involvement in decisions
about the individual's own care to Central Government policy-making;
whilst degrees of participation range from information to the total
running of an organisation. Also important is the extent to which
consumer participation is openly declared, conscious, and formal or
informal. This was found to vary considerably within MIND.
MIND has its origins in a beneficent organisation, but from the nineteen
seventies, increasing efforts were made to facilitate consumer
participation. Almost all respondents were in favour of this, but there
was considerable uncertainty about the most effective means to facilitate
such involvement, and doubts about whether proposed policies for its
implementation would be successful.
Respondents often mentioned psychological gains and the value of
individuals' skills and abilities as benefits of consumer participation.
However, difficulty in taking on responsibility was frequently said to
result in problems. The attitudes and aptitudes of members with
experience as consumers or mental health professionals, and the personal
influence of National/Regional MIND staff, were seen as crucial in
facilitating or hindering consumer participation, as were organisational
factors such as the structure of meetings, the complexity of functions,
and the relationship between different levels of MIND, which resembled
Rhodes' description of central–subcentral government relations. The
influence of National/Regional MIND on Local Associations was limited
because the latter were autonomous charities.
The thesis also covers methodological and ethical problems, and the
implications of the finding for implementing policies to increase consumer
participation in voluntary organisations.
Funding
Economic and Social Research Council. World Federation for Mental Health/MIND Congress on Mental Health, Bursary Committee.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Publisher
© Richard ByrtPublisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
1993Notes
A Doctoral Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Philosophy at Loughborough University.Language
- en