Study Of Human Occupation Research Articles

Uncovering personal meaning construction through occupation from a psychoanalytic perspective

ABSTRACT Historically, occupational scientists have drawn from a diverse array of theoretical and philosophical resources in the study of human occupation. However, insights offered by psychoanalytic theory regarding human behavior have received little attention from occupational scientists. Although psychoanalytic theory has primarily been developed as a psychotherapeutic treatment modality and a framework for understanding early child development and psychopathology, it offers valuable insights into dynamics that underpin human doing, experience, and meaning construction. Drawing on Nancy Chodorow’s psychoanalytic theory, this paper provides a perspective on how the three interrelated processes: a) fantasizing, b) projection, and c) introjection can underpin personal meaning construction through occupation.

Use of an environmental diagnostic study on a coastal lagoon as a decision support tool for environmental management policies in a coastal zone

Purpose An efficient and adequate environmental monitoring plan is essential to any integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) program. The purpose of this paper is to apply an environmental diagnostic study to a coastal lagoon using anthropogenic markers as a decision support tool to aid the development of coastal environmental management policies. Design/methodology/approach Specifically, environmental status and anthropogenic sources were determined as part of a coastal environmental management plan; a study of human occupation and use was conducted to determine the predominant human activities around the lagoon; an environmental diagnostic study was conducted to determine the occurrence, levels and distribution of markers; and the results of the environmental diagnostic study were compared to indicators stipulated in Brazilian legislation. Findings Land use study revealed both urban and rural activities around the lagoon, as evidenced by the existence of residences, restaurants as well as poultry and livestock activities. The environmental diagnostic study revealed the input of human sewage (treated and raw) and runoff from animal husbandry activities. Practical implications The information produced using anthropogenic markers showed the influence of less studied rural activities, such as livestock and poultry farming, thereby providing a more reliable environmental status compared to the use of classic indicators employed in laws issued by international and Brazilian agencies. Originality/value The present results show that classic indicators used by environmental agencies are insufficient for an accurate diagnosis of coastal zones with multiple anthropogenic activities. Thus, the modernization of the environmental monitoring plan of the ICZM program is urgently needed for a more accurate assessment of coastal environments.

Occupational science research and practice: A brief report on European perspectives based on an online-survey

ABSTRACTThis paper reports the results of a survey conducted by the Occupational Science Europe Research Committee (OSERC), a subsidiary of Occupational Science Europe (OSE). Its aim was to explore perceptions of the relationship between occupational science and occupational therapy in Europe, and the state of the art in European occupational science research, to inform OSERC about the future development of occupational science in Europe. Fifty-four people with different practice, academic, and research expertise from 15 countries, across Europe and beyond, completed the online survey. Qualitative data from open-ended questions were analysed using Shkedi’s (2010) three-stage approach to develop a concept mapping categories tree. Identified categories were linked to the results of quantitative data from closed questions. The analysis generated three main themes: ‘occupational science is the study of human occupation’; ‘relationship between occupational science and occupational therapy’ and ‘breadth and variety of research’. The findings reveal a broad understanding of occupational science as a growing discipline and different perspectives on the relationship between occupational science and occupational therapy. Along with growing perspectives on occupation and the range of research and network activities evidenced in this survey, Europe, with its diversity in culture and language, has the potential to add new perspectives and theories to the discourses within occupational science. Facilitation of networking across European occupational scientists through an increase of intercultural and interdisciplinary dialogues and research are future concerns of OSERC.

VESTÍGIOS MACROBOTÂNICOS CARBONIZADOS NA AMAZÔNIA CENTRAL: O QUE ELES NOS DIZEM SOBRE AS PLANTAS NA PRÉ-HISTÓRIA?

Until recently the study of human occupation in the Central Amazonia focused on the analysis of archaeological remains with better preservation in this tropical context. The scenario has changed in recent years with contributions from research on micro and macrobotanical remains. We add to this with the analysis of charred macrobotanical remains from the archaeological sites of Osvaldo, Lago Grande, and Acutuba, Amazonas State. In these sites, food resources such as palm nut fragments, tubers, seeds, and maize were retrieved, in addition to wood. The distribution of these botanical elements in the archeological layers suggests that different cultural activities were responsible for the composition of the record. Moreover, they suggest that at different times during the occupation of these sites the usage of some types of the charred plant remains prevailed over others.

Photo-Interviewing to Explore Everyday Occupation: Benefits and Issues

This article sheds light on the potential and the limitations of photo-interviewing for the study of human occupation and, in so doing, reflects the rapid growth in the use of participatory visual methods in a number of other disciplines. Drawing from a study that explored first person perspectives of participation in everyday occupations by people with osteoarthritis of the hand, the paper considers methodological issues related to using participatory visual methods. Participants were asked to generate photographs depicting aspects of their lived experiences, which were then used for photo-interviewing. Empirical data are presented that emphasize the productiveness of participants’ verbal interpretation of photographs. Photo-interviewing was found to engage participants in reflections on everyday life to a greater extent than conventional interviews and proved to be particularly well suited to generating knowledge of embodied everyday life experiences. Despite the fact that there were a number of methodological issues that require close consideration, when used appropriately visual research methodologies may help researchers to access rich information about everyday living that may otherwise be lost in conventional interviewing.

Phenomenology and the Study of Human Occupation

Human occupation is the central construct of concern for occupational scientists, yet questions of how it should best be studied are only beginning to be debated in the literature. This article suggests that phenomenology holds promise as a methodological approach for the study of human occupation, and that further discussions about phenomenology in the field of occupational science are warranted. An examination of phenomenology as a methodology for the study of human occupation is undertaken, drawing primarily on the contributions of three major phenomenological philosophers: Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Five key dimensions of phenomenology, and its generative possibilities as a research methodology for the study of human occupation, are examined. These include: (a) a re-conceptualization of knowledge generation, (b) intentionality and the lifeworld, (c) the notion of Being, (d) the lived body, and (e) the potential of phenomenology to reveal critical insights. This last dimension suggests that modern variants of the phenomenological tradition may have lost sight of the critical origins of the philosophy. This examination considers a complex methodology that has potential to contribute to scholarly conversations concerning the study of human occupation, and to illuminate the centrality of occupation in everyday life.

How Do We ‘See’ Occupations? An Examination of Visual Research Methodologies in the Study of Human Occupation

This article argues that visual research methodologies have potential to contribute to the study of occupation. The use of visual research methodologies is quickly growing in a number of disciplines and can help researchers to access information and reasoning not accessible through interview, log or survey. The reflexive, reflective, engaged process of creating and analysing visual materials allows for rich representations on behalf of participants, and immersion in the data on the part of researchers. This paper explores photovoice, body mapping and textual analysis of visual materials to understand how they can contribute to occupational science research. These methods were chosen because they represent the current methods being used by researchers in visually-based research literature. It is argued that when used appropriately, the addition of visual research methodologies to occupational science research will help researchers access rich and authentic information, and that visuals can represent many layers of meaning that may otherwise be lost in a conversation, log, or piece of historical literature.

The Study of Human Occupations: Implications for Research in Occupational Therapy

This article outlines the need to develop a body of research in occupational therapy which, firstly, supports the theoretical base of the profession and, secondly, enables occupational therapists to define the scope of their practice and their contribution to the promotion of health and well-being in society. It proposes the study of human occupation as a focus for research, from which greater knowledge and understanding of occupations and their significance for health could be gained. Further, the dimensions and research potential of this field are explored.