Schizophrenic clients' experiences of power: using hermeneutic analysis.

This hermeneutic study was conducted to describe the personal power experienced by 15 people with schizophrenia. Analysis revealed that the essence of power was integrality or connection with the environment. The extent of power was determined by personal awareness of integrality. Among all participants, the range of power was modest. Power for people with schizophrenia differs from power for people in general. The characteristic of power for people with schizophrenia may interfere with their ability to adapt to living in the community.