Articulating an Occupational Perspective

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Table 1: Occupational Perspective: Definitions and Descriptions

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Kendall, 1996	None indicated	“The occupational perspective is described in the definition of wellness given by Dossey and Guzetta (1989), Wellness is one's philosophy of living where there is awareness of purpose, meaning, and unique striving toward reaching human potentials” (pp. 69–84). Dossey, B., & Guzzetta, C. (1989). Wellness, values, clarification and motivation. Holistic health promotion. A guide for practice Rockville: Aspen Publishers.
Townsend, 1997	“A perspective attending to other forms, nature, locations, processes, and other features of occupation as people interact in the context of their environment.” (p. 20).	“Each feature is discussed from an occupational perspective, the active process of occupying ourselves is the way we learn about our bodies, minds, and spirits as we proceed through life” (p. 20). Bateson, M. C. (1994). Peripheral visions: Learning along the way. New York: Harper Collins.
Wilcock, 1998	“A particular view of health from the perspective of humans as occupational beings.” (p. 97).	None indicated
Whiteford, 2000	“An occupational perspective is a requisite to considering the occupational needs of people as individuals and within society, separately from consideration of how these can be met through the provision of therapeutic interventions.” (p. 203).	“To view the world through occupational eyes, seeing phenomena that have previously been viewed from other perspectives (for example, medical, psychological and social) as essentially occupational phenomena” (p. 203). Townsend, E. (1999). Enabling occupation in the 21st century: Making good intentions a reality. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 46, 147–159.
George, Wilcock, & Stanley, 2001	None indicated	“To learn the meaning of occupation for an individual” (p. 460). Wilcock, A. A. (1998). An occupational perspective of health. Thorofare, NJ: Slack.
Wilcock, 2001	“An occupational perspective does not provide a prescriptive programme of therapy. It does provide a way of thinking in whatever area of practice you pursue; a way to consider individual and community needs; a way to approach individuals, families, communities, doctors, bureaucrats and politicians; and a way to enable health through occupation” (p. 417).	None indicated
Davis, 2004	“The occupational perspective draws no such artificial boundaries between paid work and unpaid work, or the occupations of the workplace and those of daily life. As occupation-oriented therapists, we understand the role that various forms of occupation, including paid work, play in people's lives, and the centrality of occupation to health and well-being. We believe that the meaning and purpose of people's occupations can only be completely understood when viewed in the context of their unfolding lives and the other occupations they perform” (p. 19).	None indicated
Hemmingsson & Jonsson, 2005	“Refers to a body of knowledge developed in the literature of occupational therapy … An occupational perspective focuses on the ordinary things that people do and occupational aspects of importance for health and development … Important aspects of an occupational perspective include: 1) The subjective experience of meaning, 2) The subjective experience of autonomy and self-determination 3) The complex interrelationships between different kinds of occupation” (p. 572).	None indicated
Laliberte Rudman, Hebert, & Reid, 2005	“A comprehensive understanding of occupation and its enablement demands that we take on the responsibility of conducting research framed within an occupational perspective” (p. 150).	None indicated
Fok, Shaw, Jennings, & Cheesman, 2009	None indicated	“Thus, an occupational perspective entails a detailed description of the occupation itself, the requirements and demands, the available resources to support individuals or groups, and the work contexts (e.g. workplace)” (p. 370). Shaw, L., & Lysaght, R. (2008). Cognitive and behavioural demands of work. In K. Jacobs, Ergonomics for therapists (3rd ed., pp. 103–122). Missouri: Elsevier.
Kirsh et al., 2009	“A belief in occupational engagement as a basic need and a determinant of health and quality of life” (p. 393).	None indicated
Huot & Laliberte Rudman, 2011	“An occupational perspective involves highlighting how occupations are connected with doing, being, becoming and belonging, whether implicitly or explicitly. The incorporation of being and becoming into an occupational perspective emerged from Wilcock's (1998a, 1998b) scholarship, which extends the notion of occupation beyond the ‘doing’ of purposeful or goal- directed activities to address individuals’ past, current and anticipated sense of self” (p. 69).	None indicated
Pettican & Prior, 2011	None indicated	“The centrality of work in fulfilling basic human needs and the importance of acknowledging the diversity of people's experiences of the retirement transition” (p. 13). Jonsson, H., Borell, L., Sadlo, G. (2000). Retirement: An occupational transition with consequences for temporality, balance and meaning of occupation. Journal of Occupational Science, 7, 29–37.
Whiteford & Townsend, 2011	“An occupational perspective includes examining what individuals do every day on their own and collectively; how people live and seek identity; how people organize their habits, routines, and choices to promote health; and how systems support (or do not support) the occupations people want or need to do to be healthy” (p. 67).	None indicated

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