The temporal dimension in the lives of retarded adults: a problem of interaction and intervention

This paper describes an ethnographic study of temporality among a group of 32 mentally retarded adults. Data were collected by participant observers over a period of 18 months. The findings indicate that retarded individuals may experience and employ a notion of time that varies substantially from that of mainstream American time. This results in problems of interaction and intervention between professionals and these retarded adults. Sociological concepts are proposed for understanding these interactional problems.