101 LE 1 (THE ART AND SCIENCE OF LIVING BOOK CHAPS 6 & 9) OCCUPATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND BALANCE

Occupational Perspective

Humans are occupational being; “Doing” is central to human life.

Doing

is viewed as enabling the development and integration of the sensory, motor, cognitive, and psychological systems.

occupation

the crucible in which our identities are formed

occupation

influenced by abilities, preferences, values, lifestyles, and by the obligations, expectations, and possibilities afforded by the physical, cultural, social, and institutional environments in which they act.

Interactive relationship

exist among person, occupation, and environment, each influencing the other two and causing the other two to change.

occupation

mechanism for human survival and development which in turn impacts and maintains health and well-being

occupational performance

influenced by a person’s emotions, physical abilities and skills, and ability to process information.

human development

“What makes men good is held by some to be nature, by others habit or training, by others instruction”

human development

a lifelong process including both the concepts of human and adult development and aging.

true

“development involves change, but not all change is developmental.”

a. reversibility

b. distinctiveness

c. length of time

d. growth and maturation

4 differences of change and development

developmental maturation

emergence of facial hair

change

reversable

development

irreversible

preformationist, maturationist, environmentalist, and interactionist

4 major viewpoints

preformationist view

• Core Idea: Children are seen as miniature adults.

• View on Development: Development is predetermined; everything is already present at birth and just unfolds with time.

• Role of Environment: Minimal to none — environment and experience play little to no role.

• Example: Believing a child’s traits, intelligence, and behavior are entirely fixed at birth.

maturationist view

• Core Idea: Development is driven by biological maturation.

• View on Development: Growth follows a natural, genetic timeline regardless of the environment.

• Role of Environment: Passive — environment may support but cannot change the course of development.

• Key Figure: Arnold Gesell.

• Example: Motor skills like walking will happen automatically when the child is biologically ready.

environmentalist view

• Core Idea: Development is shaped entirely by external influences.

• View on Development: The child is a blank slate (tabula rasa) and learns from interaction with the environment.

• Role of Environment: Primary driver of development — includes family, culture, education, and experience.

• Key Figures: John Locke, B.F. Skinner.

• Example: A child becomes aggressive because they are exposed to violence at home or in media.

interactionist view

most widely accepted perspective

interactionist view

• Core Idea: Development results from a dynamic interaction between biology and environment.

• View on Development: Neither nature nor nurture alone is sufficient — they work together in complex ways.

• Role of Environment: Active — it shapes and is shaped by the individual’s innate traits.

• Key Figures: Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky.

• Example: A child’s language development depends both on their biological readiness and the social interactions they experience.

genotype

bring genetic make up to this dynamic relationship

phenotype

dictates a certain outward expression of human characteristics

interactionist view

draws on concepts from both maturationism and environmentalism.

maturation

caused or directed by genes

maturation

occur in fixed sequences such as those seen in embryonic change in which there is an exact order of biological development.

true

Children require positive influences of the social and cultural environments to realize their full potential within society..

false

the influence of the person and the environment do not act together.

interactionist view

pervades the field of development fits well with an occupational perspective, which is to focus attention on occupations and the influences of personal traits and experiences, as well as environmental conditions

Canadian Associate of Occupational Therapists

occupational development alludes to an interactionist perspective: “the gradual change in occupational behaviors over time, resulting from the growth and maturation of the individual in interaction with the environment”

micro perspective

level of the occupation, with a beginning, a progression, and an endpoint.

iterative process

development of occupational competence is ______.

meso perspective

level of the individual, with changes having multiple patters and no specific endpoint.

macro perspective

level of the species, with change occurring constantly across evolution.

macro perspective

It is simply anticipated there will be a continuous development of a large variety of occupations, and that the development is in keeping with the species’ needs, environments, and possibilitie

systematic process

Taking all three levels together, occupational development is defined as the _______ of change in occupational behaviors across time resulting from the interaction of person, environment, and occupation.

Interaction Model of Occupational Development

means of describing the interactional nature of the change in human occupation at the micro, meso, and macro levels.

Interaction Model of Occupational Development

portrays the systematic change in occupational behaviors as occurring, across time.

interactionism

IMOD is based on the premise that _____ is a key mechanism for occupational development at all three levels.

behavior, time, and interaction

The three variables of interactional occupational development:

micro level

the time required to develop competence in one occupation

meso level

the life span

macro level

it is the human evolutionary span.

occupational balance

to organize and participate in occupations in a manner congruent with their aspirations and values

occupational balance

perceived as a state of dynamic process that is subjective, and an individualized experience that changes over time

occupational imbalance

refers to an inability to juggle competing demands due to an overabundance or incompatible of occupations

true

Perceived occupational balance or imbalance influences other perceived states, such as happiness, stress, health, and well-being.

occupational imbalance

arising from lack of participation in meaningful occupation or too much unstructured time

occupational balance

Perceived state of satisfactory participation in valued, obligatory, and discretionary activities; occurs when the impact of occupations on one another is harmonious, cohesive, and under control.

lifestyle balance

A consistent pattern of occupations that results in reduced stress and improved health and well-being. Patterns may be viewed on several dimensions, including time allocation, fulfillment of social roles, and meeting psychological needs

role balance

satisfactory fulfillment of all valued roles.

work-life balance

Perceived ability to manage individual and family time and perceived conflict in doing so.

occupational imbalance

An individual or group experience in which health and quality of life are compromised because of being overoccupied or underoccupied

role overload

Having too much to do in the amount of time available; feeling time-crunched.

role strain

Distress or burden arising from excessive demands or insufficient capacity to fulfill the role; capacity includes personal knowledge and skills as well as available resources (financial, educational, social support).

work-life conflict

Misfit between demands of work and personal/family life. Occurs when the cumulative demands of work and non-work roles are incompatible such that participation in one role is made more difficult by participation in the other.

3D Living

length, width, and depth

length

days, months and years

width

involvement in occupations

depth

most significant dimension; live with purpose and meaning

fundamental principle

an appropriate balance of self-care, play, work, and rest was necessary to adapt to illness or disability and achieve health

occupational performance

self-care, productivity, and leisure

harmonious arrangement

astute metaphor for occupational balance

occupational imbalance

excessive time spent in one area of life at the expense of another or being over or underoccupied.

occupational imbalance

lack of congruence across one’s occupation; anchored by disharmony and lack of fit.

work-life balance

ability of the individuals to manage the demands of both their paid employment and the rest of their lives most typically in family life

role overload, work to family interference, and family to work interfrence

3 main categories of work-life conflict

individual

both work-to-family interference and family-to-work interference contribute to a sense of conflict and, when extreme, have a detrimental impact on health.

employers

work-life conflict has a cost in terms of retaining employees, at-work productivity, and absenteeism.

lifestyle balance

refers to a pattern of occupations resulting in reduced stress and improved well-being

google search

A ______ of the term lifestyle balance shows top ranking hits are related to health and illness, such as the virtues of adopting a lifestyle that incorporates a healthy diet and regular physical activity.

educational site

_______ sites on how to make lifestyle changes to prevent and manage diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic illness predominates much of the available information.

lifestyle balance

the outcome of engaging in healthy habits for mind and body, pursuing occupations congruent with one’s values, skills, and interests.

lifestyle imbalance

occurs when there is difficulty meeting physical, social, and psychological needs in a satisfactory manner, and it is observable when individuals exhibit anxiety, fatigue, or distress coping with life.

environment

an important contributor to lifestyle imbalance, be it social policy, physical demands, or other contextual factors.

length

live in days, months and years

width

reflects our involvement in a wide range of activities

workplace, house and family, socioeconomic change and community, social support and community, individual occupational factors

Factors contributing to one’s

position on the occupational

balance curve

start of occupational balance curve

Imbalance, role strain, conflict

end of occupational balance curve

Optimal balance, harmony, thriving resulting to health enhancing with greater satisfaction with life, quality of life, and happiness.

workplace

• Workload, demands, pace of work

• Perceived control, autonomy

• Supervisor, co-worker support

• Organizational culture

home and family

• Family composition and life stage

• Household work demands/expectations

• Family role expectations (as parent, spouse,

oldest child, etc.) and cohesiveness

• Financial resources

• Proximity of & responsibility to extended family

• Geography—commuting difficulties

socioeconomic

• Global, knowledge-based economy

• Labor shortages

• Increasing part-time, contingent, & self

employment

• Evolving social policy, e.g., family leave,

universal child care

social support and community

• Family, friends, co-workers

• Sense of community (neighborhood,

organizations, communities of worship)

individual occupational factors

• Occupational beliefs, values & priorities

• Occupational skills & competency

• Occupational repertoire (harmonious or not)

• Occupational experience (success, meaning,

reward, obligation, duty)