Objectives. An ethnographic approach was used to study the relationship between temporal perspective in persons with chronic schizophrenia and their ability to function in chosen occupations and participate in the routines of a board and care home. Components of future time perspective (extension, coherence, and density) are associated with the ability to organize and implement goal-directed activities. The study focused on how future time perspective occurs in a board and care home, with particular emphasis on how the institution influences temporality.

Methods. Participant observation and interviewing were used to gather data on 10 subjects.

Results. The pervasive influence of the facility’s institutional rules and expectations is revealed in the findings of subjects’ present time orientation and limited future time perspective.

Conclusions. An examination of the fit between the demands of available roles within one’s environment and occupations is proposed.