How can a healthy balance of occupations be defined - Dissertation Example

Download file to see previous pages The following proposal will provide a background and rationale for the intended research. The problem will be discussed so that the intended research can be understood for its purpose. The second section of the proposal will provide aims and objectives for the intended research Finally, the third part of the proposal will provide an intended methodology from which the study will be conducted in order to provide some resolutions for the objectives. The overall proposal is intended to provide a framework for the intended dissertation on the topic of defining balance through healthy occupations. Background Occupational choices are defined by Turner, Foster, and Johnson as either a “deliberate commitment to enter an occupational role, acquire a new habit, or undertake a personal project” (27). They further the discussion about the definition of an occupational role through disclosure that these roles are not always defined by an active choice, but are sometimes imposed upon an individual. An example of this can be the role of head of the family. Occupations are most often seen as long term endeavors which are separate from the concept of an activity which is more often seen in a short term devotion to a task or purpose (Sumsion). Occupations are concerned with long term concepts that require diligence and effort towards goals which may be finite, but are more often sets of goals that continue forward through the occupational effort (Edmons). Creating a healthy balance of occupations concerns balancing the different elements of the roles that a person undertakes in order to assure that in pursuing these roles, a balance is essential in sustaining health and preventing illness. The World Health Organization or WHO suggests that in order to define well being one must look at “the total universe of human life domains including physical, mental, and social aspects” (Wilcock 310). In order to achieve harmony and balance, all aspects of human experience must be examined and assessed in order to provide the clarity that supports well-being (Lundy and Janes 546). A very important distinction that must be made during the study of balance of occupations is that between health and wellness. Health is defined by activities that lead toward well-being. While the terms can be overlapped, more often health is considered a state of physical being that is a part of the balance of a “dynamic integration of mind, body, spirit, emotions, and environment” (Velde and Wittman 69). Therefore in studying the balance of healthy occupations, the state of well-being must be taken into consideration. How roles are chosen and how they affect the aspects of the five aspects of wellness are relevant to the overall balance of those roles of occupation. The following factors should be taken into consideration when discussing balancing occupations: a concern with a person as a physical, thinking, emotional, spiritual, and social being who has a past, present and future, and who functions within physical and social environments; a belief in intrinsic motivation - an innate predisposition to explore and act on the environment and to use one’s capacities; a recognition of each person’ ...Download file to see next pagesRead More