The article relates the story of Mr. Jordan, a man who was institutionalised and engaged in a range of long term extreme and self injurious behaviours. At the point where these behaviours had escalated to a dangerous level, a new program was put in place which included time away from the institution. It was noticed that the behaviours never occurred at these times. From this point, and after approximately 40 years, an understanding by service providers of the reasons for Mr. Jordan's behaviours was slowly reached. Mr. Jordan finally moved into a house in the community where he now lives a more meaningful lifestyle. Keyword: Individualisation