Beyond Independence: Introducing Deweyan Philosophy to the Dialogue on Occupation and Independence

Abstract

The concept of independence is often explicitly stated or subtly implied to be a human ideal in occupational science literature. While that assumption has been critiqued as culturally-specific, scholars of occupation have yet to firmly critique independence as an ideal within Western culture. There is a taken-for-granted assumption that independence is good because it is traditionally valued in Western societies. Drawing on the philosophy of John Dewey, this paper introduces a critique of the valuation of independence within Western culture as it relates to occupational science and argues that (a) idealizing independence undercuts the connected nature of life, (b) independence is not an end that can be achieved and maintained, and (c) independence and interdependence in fact co-exist in occupation. This argument extends recent trends in occupational science towards a transactional perspective. Dewey's concepts of freedom and growth—when framed as occurring through occupation—can provide guidance for moving beyond independence.

Keywords:

• Independence
• Autonomy
• Occupation
• John Dewey

Acknowledgements

I am sincerely grateful to Malcolm Cutchin for introducing me to the philosophy of John Dewey and guiding me through the writing process. Additionally, I would like to thank my fellow doctoral students at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for their helpful suggestions along the way and David DeFranza for his comments and editing on versions of this manuscript.

Notes

1. Boisvert used the term “autonomy” as the opposite of “connection and dependence” (1998, p. 63). Though not always synonymous with independence, the terms have overlapping meaning within Dewey's writing.