In the fall of 1993, the Swedish SIVUS concept was introduced in a combined living facility of the {Herbert -- I'm stuck here. I can't translate the rest of the sentence without knowing how Fachbereich Behindertenhilfe is related to the Bodelschwinghschen Anstalten Bethel in Eckardtsheim-Bielefeld.} The aim of SIVUS (social-individual development through working with others) is to realize an individual's full developmental potential. It is based on the assumption that personal development takes place in the context of working together in groups. The method entails structuring the work of these groups by continuous, repeated planning and evaluation of the work. This article is based on a talk entitled "Who actually tells me what I want? -- Self determination or imposed determination," delivered at the congress of the Diakonisches Werk Westfalen und Lippe on November 17, 1998, in Munster.