Occupational science studies the things that people do in their everyday lives and how those occupations influence and are influenced by health, well-being and their environments. It was developed by occupational therapists and colleagues from a variety of other related disciplines, under the leadership of Dr Elizabeth Yerxa in the late 1980s, to generate knowledge about human occupation. “An occupation has a shape, a pace, a beginning and an ending, a shared or solitary aspect, a cultural meaning to the person, and an infinite number of other perceived contextual qualities”. (Pierce, 2001, AJOT p.139). But how does it influence the broader society and inform occupational justice initiatives in healthcare and society? In 1989, a group of …show more content…
Clark et al.,1991; Clark & Lawlor,2009; Yerxa et al.,1989). In addition, occupational science began to rise to fame in Australasia. Ann Wilcock, an occupational therapist and scientist in Australia, founded the ‘Journal of Occupational Science: Australia in 1993’ which was later renamed in 1998 to ‘Journal of Occupational Science’ (Calhoun, 2020 p193-207). Elizabeth J. Yerxa, a founding member of the concept of occupational science, once stated that “occupational science is the study of the human as an occupational being, including the need for the capacity to engage in and orchestrate daily occupations in the environment across the lifespan. Because of the complexity of occupation, occupational science synthesizes knowledge from a range of disciplines” (Yerxa, 1989). According to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists “Occupational science is a research focused discipline committed to developing knowledge about occupation, developed in parallel with the resurgence …show more content…
Occupational science provides support for occupational therapists in practice. It improves current services to clients and develops new approaches to therapy. It allows occupational therapists to understand humans as occupational beings. It defines the relationship between occupation and health. Key concepts from occupational science help occupational therapists to understand their clients' subjective experiences, and unique perspectives, while also considering context. Occupational science underpins effective occupational therapy practice by providing a rich understanding of occupation as both a therapeutic means and the ultimate goal of occupational therapy. Occupational science research supports occupational therapists’ critical reflections regarding their profession. It offers updated research results and provides a theoretical background to inform their practice. Kristensen et al. 2015). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the ' Upon reflection, the contribution of occupational science to occupational therapy is immense. It is the so-called ‘backbone’ of the practice. Without occupational science, occupational therapy would just be an assertion. “Adopting occupational science will assist occupational therapists to think occupational rather than medical terms. This alone would extend the profession's domain