Occupational Science Mid term

Occupational Science

Occupational Science is the study of human occupation and how people engage in meaningful activities as part of their everyday lives

Why was Occupational Science developed?

OS developed to provide a stronger scientific foundation for understanding occupation and to support occupational therapy's focus on occupation.

What are the Three Main Ideas (paradigms) of Occupational Science?

Mechanical, Adaptation, Occupation

What is Mechanical in Occupational science?

Body structures, functions, and physical performance

What is adaptation in Occupational science?

Person's ability to adapt to environmental demands

What is occupation in occupational science?

Meaningful occupation and participation

Why does OS matter to OT?

Occupational science helps occupational therapists understand:

What people do, why they do it, how occupation affects them, and how occupation is influenced by context.

Main Idea of Occupational Science

Occupational science views humans as occupational beings.

This means occupation is not simply something people do—it is an important part of who people are, how they develop, and how they participate in life.

OTPF

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework provides a common structure for describing OT's domain and process.

Domain

WHAT occupational therapists address

Four Tenets of Occupational Science

• Humans are occupational beings

• Occupation is complex

• Occupation is influenced by context

• Occupation has meaning and purpose

Process

HOW occupational therapists provide services

Uniform Terminology

The development of standardized terminology helped occupational therapy establish consistent language for describing occupation and practice.

OTPF Development

Uniform Terminology → OTPF: Domain & Process → OTPF-2 → OTPF-3 → OTPF-4

OTPF-2 Important additions included concepts such as:

• Occupational justice

• Self-advocacy

• Rest and sleep

OTPF-3 Important change:

Groups and populations were recognized as clients.

OT is therefore not limited to working with individual people.

OTPF-4 Important concepts include:

• Health management

• Groups

• Populations

• Interventions that support occupation

• Expanded understanding of occupational participation

What is doing?

Doing refers to the actual performance or participation in occupation.

What is being?

Being refers to one's identity, values, meaning, and sense of self.

What is becoming?

Becoming refers to growth, development, transformation, and possibilities for the future.

What is the relationship between doing, being and becoming?

Doing → Being → Becoming (action allows you to see yourself as the person you want to be, and continuing to perform these actions and thinking about who you want to be allows you to become the person you want to be)

Occupational Being

An occupational being is a person whose life, identity, development, and health are connected to occupation.

Occupation is not something separate from the person.

Occupational Dysfunction

Occupational dysfunction occurs when a person experiences difficulty participating in occupations that are important or meaningful to them.

Important note about Occupational Dysfunction

The problem is not always the person's physical ability.

The environment and context can create occupational barriers.

Important note about culture and occupation

Culture influences what people do and the meaning they assign to what they do.

Two people may perform the same occupation but attach completely different meanings to it.

Cultural influences

• Values

• Beliefs

• Roles

• Habits

• Traditions

• Expectations

• Meaning

• Participation in occupation

Western Worldview

Often emphasizes:

• Individualism

• Independence

• Individual achievement

• Personal choice

• Autonomy

Eastern Worldview

Often places greater emphasis on:

• Community

• Family

• Interdependence

• Social relationships

• Collective responsibility

Why is it important for an OT to ask the client what their goal is ( OT application)

An OT should not assume that independence is always the primary goal.

For some clients, successful participation may mean being able to contribute to or depend on family members.

What can religion influence?

• Daily routines

• Roles

• Values

• Social participation

• Food practices

• Clothing

• Rest

• Rituals

• Meaningful activities

What is client-centered practice?

Client-centered practice requires understanding the client's values and beliefs (Instead of assuming what an occupation means, ask the client.)

Vertical Social Indexing

Looks at differences based on social hierarchy or status.

Examples:

• Social class

• Education

• Wealth

• Power

• Status

Horizontal Social Indexing

Looks at differences across social groups or categories.

Examples:

• Gender

• Age

• Cultural groups

• Geographic groups

• Other social identities/categories

Why does Social Indexing matter?

Social position can affect:

• Access to occupations

• Opportunities

• Resources

• Participation

• Health

• Occupational choices

Occupational Storytelling

Occupational storytelling involves listening to and understanding a person's experiences with occupation.

What does the therapist learn during Occupational Storytelling?

• What the person does

• What occupations mean to them

• What has changed

• Their values

• Their experiences

• Their identity

Why is storytelling important?

Because a person's occupational history provides information that cannot always be understood through standardized assessments.

Occupational Story making

Story making involves helping a person create or reconstruct possibilities for their occupational future.

Storytelling vs. Story making

Storytelling	Story making

Looks at experiences

Looks toward possibilities

Understands the past/present

Explores the future

Client tells their story

Client develops new possibilities

Builds understanding

Supports transformation

Occupational disruption

An occupational disruption occurs when a person's usual participation in meaningful occupations is interrupted.

Examples of Occupational Disruption

• Injury

• Illness

• Moving

• Losing a job

• Divorce

• Becoming a parent

• Retirement

• Major life transition

Important note about Occupational Disruption

Occupational disruption can affect identity, not just daily activities.

For example, losing a job may mean losing:

• Income

• Routine

• Social relationships

• Purpose

• Identity

Decoupling the Self from an activity?

A person may begin to define themselves entirely through a particular occupation.

When they can no longer perform that occupation, they may experience an identity crisis.

Decoupling involves separating one's sense of self from one specific activity or role.

Examples of Decoupling the self from an activity

A professional athlete becomes injured.

Instead of:

"I am an athlete."

They may need to develop:

"Being an athlete is part of who I am, but it isn't all of who I am."

This can support adaptation and reconstruction of identity.

Image reconstruction

Image reconstruction involves developing a new understanding or image of oneself after occupational disruption.

This is particularly important when a person loses an occupation that was central to their identity.

Example of Image Reconstruction

A person who can no longer work after an injury may discover new meaningful roles through:

• Volunteering

• Parenting

• Hobbies

• Education

• Community involvement

Therapeutic Use of Self

The therapist uses their own:

• Communication

• Personality

• Empathy

• Professional reasoning

• Listening

• Relationship-building

to establish an effective therapeutic relationship.

Important note about therapeutic use of self

The therapist is not simply applying techniques.

The relationship itself can influence intervention.

Communal Horizon of Understanding

This refers to developing a shared understanding between the therapist and client.

The therapist should not assume:

"I already know what this person's experience means."

Instead, they work collaboratively with the client to understand their perspective.

Collaboration

Therapist and client work together rather than the therapist controlling the story.

Empathy

Trying to understand the client's experience from their perspective

Inclusion of the Ordinary

Everyday activities can reveal important information about identity and meaning.

Listening

Actively attending to the client's experiences.

Reflection

Thinking critically about what the client's story means and how it affects intervention.

Things to know about ADLs

ADLs should not be viewed only as tasks that need to be completed.

Consider:

• Meaning

• Identity

• Culture

• Relationships

• Context

• Personal preference

Example of ADL

Bathing isn't necessarily just:

"Can the person bathe independently?"

It may also involve:

"What does bathing mean to this person, and how does their culture or routine influence it?"

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Know the hierarchy:

Physiological needs

↓
Safety

↓
Love & belonging

↓
Esteem

↓
Self-actualization

OT connection

OTs can help people participate in occupations that support needs at multiple levels.

For example:

Cooking → nutrition + independence + family participation + self-esteem

The most important theme connecting all five units is:

Occupation is meaningful, contextual, culturally influenced, and connected to identity, health, and participation.

A strong OT student should be able to move beyond memorizing definitions and explain:

Person + Occupation + Environment/Context → Participation and Meaning