When a community seperates itself from society, its survival depends on a delicate balance between separation and isolation. The case to be presented here is the Jonestown Colony in Guyana, visited by the author shortly before its collective suicide. The selfdestruction is analyzed in terms of the psychology of large groups. Within the camp, incestuous relationshipsflourished, and there were unresolved conflicts between individuation and assimilation. It developed to a »greedy institution«, with the leader as the absolute power centre. Isolation, an apocalyptic ideology, and a loss of history, all contributed to the destructionof the cultural Matrix.Når en storgruppe adskiller sig fra storsamfundet, er dets overlevelse betinget af at kunne adskille sig uden at blive isoleret. Ud fra et ophold i Jonestown-kolonien i Guyana kort tid før den begik kollektivt selvmord, analyseres de storgruppefænomener, der betingede afviklingen. Sekten var præget af incestuøse forhold og af uløste konflikter mellem individuation og separation. Lejren udviklede sig til en »grådig institution«, hvor lederen blev lejrens totale magtcentrum. Den totale isolation, de apokalyptiske fortolkninger og det historieløse gav dårlige betingelser for at formulere en kulturens Matrix som overlevelsesesmekanisme
