Cottage Fourteen

This study intends to illustrate the significance of ethological concepts-i.e., territoriality and dominance hierarchy-for the understanding of group behavior in an institution. Ethology studies the behavior of animals in their natural habitat, accentuating the adaptive value of specific behaviors under special environmental conditions. The importance of ethological methods in human observation has been shown in psychiatry (Hutt and Hutt, 1970). I believe that institutional management of children can benefit equally from ethological studies, especially where these may shed light on the influence of the superimposed adult power structure. Institutions foster relative group isolation, which guarantees that group members know each other sufficiently for us to attribute observed aggression to dominance and territorial (defense) behavior. 1 Group isolation practically prevents redirection or compensation in other ways of emotional