Occupation

What is Occupation?

I define occupation as any activity or task that brings a person a sense of fulfillment and belonging in their life. It is the action of doing something with variations in time, energy, and consistency. They are "unique to each individual and provide personal satisfaction... as a result of engaging in them (AOTA, 2014, p.S5). These activities can be done independently or within groups, and have a purpose and meaning.

The American Occupational Therapy Association (2014) states that "occupations are central to a client’s (person’s, group’s, or population’s) identity and sense of competence and have particular meaning and value to that client" (p.S5). To the left I have a few pictures of me and my volleyball team during my senior year of high school. This is an occupation that I enjoy and it has served as a way for me to find belonging in the past and even now at Dominican through recreational sports. It has taught me the importance of teamwork, commitment, and individual responsibility.

Occupation of Others: Belonging

Ashley presenting to college students on how GitHub can be used and how she utilizes GitHub within her own projects.

“Occupation is used to mean all the things people want, need, or have to do, whether of physical, mental, social, sexual, political, or spiritual nature and is inclusive of sleep and rest. It refers to all aspects of actual human doing, being, becoming, and belonging" (AOTA, 2014, P.S6).

In the class OT1002 I was able to interview my sister, Ashley, and we were able to discuss many of her occupations. During our conversation, she seemed to focus more on one of her more favorable occupations, computer science.

The theme of connection and belonging was displayed a few times throughout this interview. The feeling of belonging is when you are able to “gain a sense of connection to people, places or moments” (Kay, 2017, p.359). With each connection that my interviewee was able to make through the occupation of computer science, she also mentioned feelings of belonging as she was able to find her own friend group at school. In "Writing on the Wall: The Form, Function and Meaning of Tagging" the author, Emma Russell (2008), states that "through belonging to a social group, individuals are able to attain higher needs such as self-esteem and self-actualization" (p.93). She discussed the creation of her own club at school and her participation in other clubs around campus. She explains how “all of these clubs, [Robotics, Computer Club, App Development, CSF, and Future Voters], have had a major role in [her] life” (Raigosa, Personal Communication, 2020). It was through these clubs that she was able to find a group of people that enjoyed the same occupations as her.

For my interviewee, technology has served as a great way for her to not only engage in her occupation but make strong connections with others. Through making these connections, one may be able to find a sense of belonging within their community.

Professional Implications

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Overall, I have been able to enhance my understanding of my future role as an Occupational Therapist thank to this course. As a healthcare professional, it is necessary that you “understand what participation in an occupation means to the participant” (Russell, 2018, p.94). By familiarizing yourself with an unfamiliar occupation, you are able to gain a sense of appreciation for what is motivating your client.

Throughout this class, I was able to gain important skills in regards to conversation including open-ended questions. Open-ended questioned are important as they allow you to gain a better understanding of your client and develop a more meaningful relationship with them.

In the future, I hope to carry on these concepts and apply them to my work as an Occupational Therapist in order to better understand my client's, their occupations, and how they are meaningful to them.

Personal Implications

From the OT course so far, I have been able to learn that occupation can be very broad and can have many personal implications. Originally, I thought that occupation typically focused around professional implications when, in reality, it can consist of a variety of different activities. I was surprised to discover the way that occupations can vary from person to person and how many of them are performed naturally. Something as simple as brushing your hair or getting dressed is considered an occupation and it was through this class that I have been able realize how meaningful a persons occupations can actually be.

To the left I have a couple of images of my trip to Colombia to visit my family. Travel is an occupation that I have always been very fond of. It is through travel that I have been able to discover more about my own identity and learn to appreciate different cultures. During this trip, I was able to meet many of my family members on my dad's side of the family for the first time. Many of them only spoke Spanish or spoke little English, but it was through this occupation of travel that I was able to build connections with them, listen to their stories, and learn more about them as people. This is an occupation that I would like to continue and I hope to find a way to incorporate it into my future practice as an OT whether that is through practicing OT in other countries or through future global learning experiences.

References

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (3rd Ed). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68 (supplement_1), (S1-S51). doi:10.5014/ajot.2014.68s1

Kay, H., & Brewis, C. (2017). Understanding tattooing from an occupational science perspective. Journal of Occupational Science, 24(3), 351-364.

Russell, E. (2008). Writing on the wall: The form, function and meaning of tagging. Journal of Occupational Science, 15(2), 87–97. doi: 10.1080/14427591.2008.9686614

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