Introduction and Definition
Occupational science, although recognized as a newer concept in the scientific field, has unofficially been around since the birth of occupational therapy due to the early contributions of Adolf Meyer and Eleanor Clark Slagle. Occupational science is the study of the observable aspects, influences, and subjective experiences of occupations – socially and culturally identifiable, meaningful activities (Yerxa et al., 1989) (Larson et al., 2003). The science of occupation arose from both the development of occupational therapy and the scrutiny that the profession of occupational therapy received during a period of time where new lines and definitions were being drawn in the fields of medicine and science. Although the benefits of focusing our profession purely on occupation, as well as the idea of viewing humans in a holistic manner seemed intuitive, a demand of distinctive evidence was put on the profession. This is what brought the official rise of occupational science in the contemporary paradigm. …show more content…
This broad concept can be broken down into two specific notions: studying humans as occupational beings and studying the underlying and encompassing nature of occupation. As Yerxa et al. (1989) stated in her article, “by identifying and articulating a scientific foundation for practice, occupational science could provide practitioners with support for what they do, justify the significance of occupational therapy to health, and differentiate occupational therapy from other disciplines”. Occupational science will be used to support my understanding and future practice as an occupational
Occupational science, although recognized as a newer concept in the scientific field, has unofficially been around since the birth of occupational therapy due to the early contributions of Adolf Meyer and Eleanor Clark Slagle. Occupational science is the study of the observable aspects, influences, and subjective experiences of occupations – socially and culturally identifiable, meaningful activities (Yerxa et al., 1989) (Larson et al., 2003). The science of occupation arose from both the development of occupational therapy and the scrutiny that the profession of occupational therapy received during a period of time where new lines and definitions were being drawn in the fields of medicine and science. Although the benefits of focusing our profession purely on occupation, as well as the idea of viewing humans in a holistic manner seemed intuitive, a demand of distinctive evidence was put on the profession. This is what brought the official rise of occupational science in the contemporary paradigm. …show more content…
This broad concept can be broken down into two specific notions: studying humans as occupational beings and studying the underlying and encompassing nature of occupation. As Yerxa et al. (1989) stated in her article, “by identifying and articulating a scientific foundation for practice, occupational science could provide practitioners with support for what they do, justify the significance of occupational therapy to health, and differentiate occupational therapy from other disciplines”. Occupational science will be used to support my understanding and future practice as an occupational