Sources of Values and Beliefs in Occupational Therapy

This presentation is the outcome of a charge from the AOTA Representative Assembly in 2005 to better identify and verify the historical sources of influential values and beliefs related to occupational therapy. Although the value of occupation has been written about for over 100 years few scholars or practitioners can readily articulate the initial influences, beliefs, and values that lead to the use of occupation as a therapeutic/health/life organizing concept and occupational therapy as a profession. Instead many therapists seem to believe that both “sprang forth” in 1997 with NSPOT or originated with Adolf Meyer, both inaccurate. Accurate knowledge of one’s professional roots is as useful as knowledge of one’s personal roots. While personal roots can be traced by identifying ones ancestors, professions usually are traced to an identified knowledge base or specific technology (Maxwell & Maxwell,1984). The Maxwells suggest that the concept and profession followed a unique path that drew on multiple sources of existing knowledge and technology to address social, health, economic and political problems of the early 20th century. Guided by the Maxwell’s insight and the historical method lf Lucery (1984) a list of possible influences was develop and documented. Based on the documentation, values and beliefs were compiled from published sources. Occupational therapy’s atypical beginning arouse in part from attempts to salvage humans from the ravages of disorders (mental), disability (rheumatism), disease, and/or injury to gain or regain role and status in the community as productive contributing citizens. Work, idleness, and occupation were key concepts leading to the recognition of occupational therapy as a discipline. This knowledge of our heritage enables us to better understand, explain, and study the concept of occupation and profession of occupational therapy as entities dedicated to helping people to “take back” their sense of self control over their lives, to “come back” from disorder, disability, disease and injury, and to “get back” into the mainstream of life