1. An Exploration and Review
Occupation
An Exploration and Review 1

2. Theory of Human Nature (Wilcock) “We are born with a need to engage in occupation”
People spend their lives engaged in purposeful “doing” even when free of obligation or necessity
Allows us to demonstrate what we are or hope to become
Humans need a novel way to pass time 2

3. Occupation Defined
Patterns of culturally and personally meaningful activity in which humans engage (Clark et al. 1991)
Self-initiated, self-directed, adaptive and organized
A purposeful form of human endeavor…it provides longitudinal organization of time and effort in a person’s life (Hagedorn)
The dominant activity of human beings that includes serious, productive pursuits and playful, creative and festive behaviors. (Kielhofner) 3

4. Occupation (AOTA) Activities of everyday life
“Named”
Organized
Given value and meaning (individually and/or culturally)
Everything people do to “occupy” themselves
Viewed as both a “means” and an “end”.
Occupation vs. Activity
Occupations are activities that have unique meaning and purpose in a person’s life
Activities are more general classes of human actions 4

5. Key perspectives of Occupation (AOTA, 1997)
Occupations have personal and specific meaning to a person
This personal meaning is variable and involves many different dimensions
The occupations that a person engages in helps to “define” that person
Over time or situation, a person’s occupations are likely to change 5

6. Dimensions of Occupation
Biological Dimension
Temporal-Spatial Dimension
Socio-cultural Dimension
Psychological Dimension
Spiritual Dimension 6

7. Biological Dimension
The needs, drives, abilities and limitations of the person at the physiological level and at the organism level
Occupation provides a mechanism for humans to fulfill needs for survival
Upright walking, hand dexterity, communication, vision, socialization 7

8. Temporal-Spatial Dimension
Time and space factors
Length of occupation
Participants sense of past, present and future
The subjective experience of time
Nature of the environment
The immediate space 8

9. Socio-cultural Dimension
Considers the relationship with others within the immediate social environment AND those that result from commonly valued behaviors of their culture 9

10. Psychological Dimension
Refers to all the emotional and cognitive aspects of human occupation
Example: happiness, ecstasy, joy, anger, bitterness, jealousy
Cognition and Perception 10

11. Spiritual Dimension Facilitates one’s acceptance of a greater reality
One of the only functional domains likely to be intact and growing at the end of life
Plays influential role in directing which activities are meaningful
Understanding one’s “place” in the universe
Making “meaning” through purposeful activity
The essence of a person expressed in daily actions as influenced by values, belief systems and socio-cultural backgrounds
Religion is "absolute truth of life" of the physical manifested world. It is Religion and not Spirituality which forms the basis of the present society we live in. In the present the needs for following a Religion being at its minimum... it is easy to follow any Religion. Anyone... even a layman can follow any Religion but not Spirituality?What vastly differentiates Religion and Spirituality? Religion... if it forms the core of the physical manifested world... it is the Spirituality (the truth of our Soul within) which upholds the values in the society. Without Spirituality the physical manifested world cannot sustain for long but in the absence of religion... the society can survive on its own. 11

12. Examining the Dimensions of Occupation
choose an occupation
Discuss how and if each of the 5 dimensions are reflected in each of your chosen occupations 12

13. Benefits of Occupation
Promotes Learning
Provides a Role Identity
Involves use of the hands
Challenges and changes the internal organism to promote adaptive responses
Provides structure and integration of a person’s “wholeness”
Provides balance and meaning
Reduce awareness of physical or psychological symptoms
Promotes recovery from illness and trauma
Do an exercise where you give the students a “person” and have them create a story or a picture of that person that answers these questions/benefits. (one thru seven and maybe make up one for 8 if you can!)
Grandmother baking cookies
New mother changing a baby’s diaper
Child learning how to play hopscotch at school
Teenage boy getting his first job at McDonald’s 13

14. Health World Health Organization Definition: Varies according to:
Culture
Spiritual Philosophies
Economy
Technology
Socially accepted theories
Time
A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being not merely the absence of disease.
Health and wellness are not synonyms. Health refers simply to a physical body being free from diseases, but wellness is an overall balance of your physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, environmental, and occupational well-being. Wellness is a lifestyle and is not an end to be acheived. Wellness means that one strives for balance throughout his whole life. On the other hand, health would be that a person wants to lose weight and lower blood pressure. Once he does this, he is considered healthy. Health is a goal one can acheive while wellness is a dynamic concept that continues for a lifetime. 14

15. Well-being
Defined as: A Subjective assessment of health which is less concerned with biological function than with feelings such as self-esteem and a sense of belonging through social integration 15

16. Physical Well-being Easiest to understand
Internal need to make use of our physical capacities
Increased use of alternative medicine in today’s world 16

17. Mental Well-being
Associated with spiritual as well as cognitive factors
Pre-requisites for well-being
Associated with balance of occupations
Reflective of coping skills
Stress, Boredom, Burnout 17

18. Social Well-being
Associated with satisfying interpersonal relationships, ability to interact happily and effectively with other people in cultural and social parameters without fear
It is suggested that physical and mental well-being are dependent on social well-being 18

19. An introduction to occupational Science
Somaya Malkawi, PhD
October, 3, 2012

20. Introduction Occupational science emerged from the early 20th century
Occupational therapy and science both focus on occupation but occupational science is an academic discipline
It studies the science of doing occupations and how it relates to the health and well being of the person

21. Occupational Science is:
It is the study of the human as an occupational being including the need for and capacity to engage in and orchestrate daily occupations in the environment over the lifespan. Because of the complexity of occupation occupational science synthesises knowledge from an array of disciplines (biological and social scineces)

22. Occupational science
It specifically focuses on the form, function and meaning of human occupation 3.
Meaning, the
Significant of
Occupation within
The context of real
Lives and in the
Culture 1.
FORM
Directly
Observable
Aspects of
Occupations 2.
Function
Ways in which
Occupation
Serves
adaptation

23. From of occupation
Refers to aspects of occupations that are directly observable
To study this aspect you would study how different cultures do things, eat, drink, dress…etc.

24. Function of occupation
Refers to the ways occupation influences development, adaptation, health, and quality of life
Ex. If you eat vs. how someone else feeds you reflects on your satisfaction and physical health

25. Meaning of occupation
It is the subjective experience of engagement in occupations
How does this occupation relate to this culture and what is its meaning

26. Historic relationship of occupational therapy to occupational science
Occupational therapy was there before occupational science
The early 1900s, when the core premise of OT was formulated
The 1920s, AOTA began making decisions about what is the base of knowledge for occupational therapy
The 1960s, when critical re-evaluation of the base of knowledge of occupational therapists was many new theoretical concepts were added
The late 1980s and 1990s, when occupational science was formally founded and academic curricula

27. Well-being and Incapacity
Can people experience “good” health and well-being despite some form of incapacity?
Terminology derived from Occupational Science 27

28. Occupational Justice
Addresses what people DO in their relationships and conditions for living
Humans have a need for occupation and should be enabled to engage in occupation
Occupational Risk Factors
Occupational Imbalance
Occupational Deprivation
Occupational Alienation 28

29. Health and Occupational Risk Factors
Occupational Risk: Actions or lack of actions that lead to “pre-clinical” health disorders such as boredom, burnout, depression, increased blood pressure, decreased fitness…when can THEN lead to:
Disease
Disability
Death 29

30. Occupational Imbalance
Balance between use of physical, mental, social capacities and rest
Associated with BOTH intrinsic and extrinsic factors
Boredom vs. Burnout (both are forms of stress!) 30

31. Occupational Deprivation
A state of prolonged preclusion from engagement in occupations due to factors which stand outside of the control of the individual
Implies the influence of some type of external(EXTRINSIC) force or agency that keeps a person from acquiring, using or enjoying something (vs. life in general)
Possible sources:
Technology, division of labor, lack of employment, poverty or affluence, cultural values, regulations, ill health or disability that results in limited participation 31

32. Occupational Deprivation cont’d.
Geographic Isolation
Problem conditions of unemployment
Incarceration
Refugeeism
Prisoners of War
Astronauts/Isolation 32

33. Occupational Disruption
Temporary or transient
Results from factors internal to the person
Example: breaking your leg 33

34. Occupational Alienation
The belief that we have innate and natural needs but our society, culture, technology and evolution create a life that sometimes denies our ability to express those inner needs
More than just not being able to do something….
More abstract than deprivation
ex. Steroids in sports, lack of face-to-fact communication, changing role of families with regards to activities/meals…. 34

35. What type of occupational risk?
Wall street broker who works, on average, 80 hours per week
Child with active leukemia
Young woman in middle eastern country who is forbidden to learn to read
Single mother caring for four children including one special needs child
Middle-aged divorced male living alone and unable to find any sort of employment
Kind and compassionate physician working in a group practice that demands he see patients per day and strongly discourages all interpersonal discussion or relationship building with the patients 35

36. Questions?