Australian Aborigines' reaction to the disintegration of their traditional culture following western conquest has been marked by a variety of outcomes. While some Aborigines have either accepted or reached a level of accommodation to western ways, others have responded in maladaptive ways. It is the problems of, and policy responses to, dysfunctional Aboriginal groups that are the concern of this paper. We demonstrate that existing programs of development, while necessary stepping stones, address only the symptoms not the cause of the problem. We show that government policies, to date, have failed to recognise the post-traumatic stress disorder that some Aborigines experience due to western colonisation. Government policies that address the symptoms rather than the cause effect the perpetuation of dysfunctional Aboriginal groups. We advocate addressing the psychosocial wellbeing of these groups as a priority for government programs aimed at reducing the negative indices that characterise those societies.
The discipline of Organisational Behaviour aims to equip managers with the skills and knowledge necessary to predict and control people's behaviour in organisations. For this reason, the use of power within organisations is a major theme in this discipline.
All Australian Aborigines have experienced the impact of Western culture to some extent which has resulted in the traditional cultures being irrevocably decimated. The reaction to the disintegration of traditional culture has been marked by a variety of outcomes. While some Aborigines have either accepted or reached a level of accommodation to the new order, others have responded in maladaptive ways. For some Aborigines, the disintegration of traditional culture and society has generated conflict, confusion and the disintegration of personality, which is conducive to the evolution of a dysfunctional group. It is the circumstances of and policy responses to dysfunctional Aboriginal groups, therefore, that is the concern of this article.
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