Definitions:

Blog Entry Two:

Definitions:

Defining meaningful occupations:

These are a few ideas around occupation/activity which I consider to be the reason why people choose to engage in an occupation/activity;

•          The enjoyment from engaging in a particular occupation/activity
•          It provides structure and routine to a person’s life
•         The satisfaction of the end result
•         It can provide a sense of belonging
•         The occupation/activity can provide an opportunity to socialize  

Definitions from our learned peers:

Meaning: Reed, Hocking & Smythe (2010) state that “Meaning has been linked to identity with the understanding that individuals’ occupations contribute to their identity via the groups they identify with, which assign value to those occupations (pp.141).

Occupations: Townsend & Polatajko (2007)  describe occupations as “the groups of activities and tasks of everyday life, named, organized, and given value and meaning by individuals and a culture; they also include what people do to look after themselves, they work they do and even the activities they chose to do for leisure” (pp.74).

Meaningful occupations: Husselkus (2002) states that "the sources of meaning found in occupation and the contributions that occupation makes to meaning in our lives" (p. xi) is what meaningful occupations is about.

Well-being: Orem (1985) cited in (Mary Law et al., 1998) has emphasized well-being as a term that is used to describe an individual’s perception of their condition. Well-being refers to the integration of a person’s physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social characteristics (pp.83).

References:

Hasselkus, B.R. (2002). The meaning of everyday occupation. Thorofare, NJ: Slack.

Orem, D.E. (1985). A concept of self-care for the rehabilitation client. Rehabilitation Nursing,

10 (3) 3 - 3 6 . Cited in Law, M., Steinwender, S., and LeClair, L. (1998).
Occupation, health and well-being. Canadian journal of occupational therpy. 65 (2)

Reed, K., Hocking, C. & Smythe, L. (2010). The interconnected meanings of occupation:

The call, being-with, possibilities. Journal of occupational science. 17 (3)

Townsend, E. & Polatajko, H. (2007). Enabling occupation II: Advancing an occupational

herapy vision for health, well-being, & justice through occupation. CAOT

Publications: Ottowa, Ontario