The complex interplay of factors in sustaining the tenancies of long-term alcohol misusers

• Main Author: Patience, John K.
• Published: University of Brighton 2008
• Subjects: 363.5974
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.500779

The research is essentially about communication, and how this is connected with individual change and the influence of systems. The research is situated within the dynamic of the housing 'system' and examines the inter-relationship between the housing officer and the tenant in supporting tenancies,. The interplay of factors is understood from the perspective of communication, and the complex factors are visualised as constituting separate but interconnected systems, informed by the systems work of Luhmann (1995) and Watzlawick's et al (1967) pragmatics. The research is framed by systems theory and seeks to integrate the two genres: systems as communication and the inter-relationships between the parts (housing officers, clients and the housing system) as seen through narrative. Models of complexity are referenced to help understand 'how things are and how they might work' (after Bryne, 2004). The broader principles of systems theory are applied at an individualised level.