Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living [Paperback]

Charles Christiansen (Author), Elizabeth Townsend (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130133035 | ISBN-13: 978-0130133038 | Publication Date: February 16, 2003 | Edition: 1

For courses in Occupational Science, Sociology of Work, Social Anthropology, and Occupational Psychology. Broad in perspective, this text challenges students to look beyond occupation as just "work" to include all the ways in which we occupy ourselves-showing how what we do forms our lifestyle, and how occupations are enfolded to create a balanced or unbalanced style of life. Practical as well as conceptual, it explores both informal and formal ways for studying occupation, provides a model and framework for studying occupational development across the lifespan, and considers issues and insights surrounding such topics as occupation and identity, occupation and place, occupation and groups and communities, occupation deprivation and disruption, and occupation and justice.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Human occupation is nothing less than the way we describe the experiences that account for our pathway through life - the activities that fill up each day. Its study leads to a greater understanding of how people view, orchestrate, draw meaning from, and improve their lives, as well as the satisfaction that they draw from life. Broad in perspective, Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living brings together an outstanding team of authors to explore both informal and formal ways for studying occupation.

Features:

• Discusses numerous ways to learn about occupation through observation.
• Details formal and informal ranges of research methods.
• Presents a framework for occupation across the lifespan.
• Highlights how identity is shaped by occupation.
• Outlines social responsibilities that result from occupations.
• Companion Website - www.prenhall.com/christiansen - provides interactive self-assessment with instant feedback.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

There is an old story about people describing an elephant, one by touching a leg, one by sitting on the elephant, one by feeling it blow through its large trunk, and so on. Each person has a different understanding of the elephant. Their collected descriptions describe the strength, gentleness, and force of the elephant from different perspectives. To fully understand the elephant, it is necessary to collect many perspectives and to present them as parts of a profile.

Now, consider the English word occupation. No doubt many images come to mind. In contemplating this book, our goal was to provide a variety of ways for people to consider how humans occupy their time, dedicate their energy, realize their sense of personhood, and organize their societies. Occupations can be considered in economic terms, in social terms, as expressions of personality, or as "doings" that influence health and well-being.

Historically, the literature of human occupation has focused on particular perspectives. There have been books on time use, books on leisure and work, books on occupational hazards and safety, and books on occupational medicine and occupational therapy, among others. But no book has previously invited authors from a range of disciplines and backgrounds to explore what people do, and why, how, where, with whom, and to what consequences these everyday occupations collectively define, organize, and influence our lives. This book takes the view that occupations include all meaningful acts that collectively define and give meaning to daily living.

In his book Acts of Meaning, Jerome Bruner has written that people understand their lives through stories. He then points out that these stories are constructed from the acts that are central to everyday human occupations. In this book, the acts that comprise and give meaning to lives are explored in all their complexity, providing awareness that this is a topic that is large and complex like an elephant. We are delighted that the many talented contributors were willing to share their different points of view in this volume. Our hope is that, collectively, their views of occupation will help readers from many diverse areas gain a broader and enriched perspective of occupations, both as a means of social classification and as a powerful array of experiences shaping everyday life in both obvious and subtle ways.

We present you with a book that examines what people do in their everyday worlds. We invite you to consider the various forces that shape the world of occupations and to reflect on how those experiences shape individuals and communities in the world. As you consider the writings in this book, we invite you to explore individual ideas in more detail through focused readings found through examination of the supporting literature for each chapter and to visit the companion web site for additional opportunities to explore topics. We then challenge you to consider your own occupations and to reflect on how they can be used to shape the meaning of your life story and how occupations might be organized in your culture or community.

This is the first editorial collaboration between two people who share a passion for learning about occupations in everyday life. Through this book, we invite you to join us in an engaging and enlightening occupational pursuit. We are indebted to John Robinson, a pioneer in the study of time use related to human occupation, for his contribution to this volume. We acknowledge with appreciation the work of Linda Buxell, Mark Cohen, Charles Hayden, Melissa Kerrian, and Judy Wolf, who made the occupation of editing this book an enjoyable and memorable chapter in our own life stories.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (February 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130133035
• ISBN-13: 978-0130133038
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,148,802 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Looked poorly photocopied!!!!, October 10, 2008

By 

Mrs. Z from Oklahoma "Mom and a therapist" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living (Paperback)

In all my years of college, I've never had a book that had such poor printing quality. I am in a graduate OT program and my fellow students have a completely different looking book. Their book has crisp, clear photos, light green headings, and colorful chapters. My book, looks like it was copied on a really old copy machine from the early 1900's. The colors are smeared, the photos are distorted and very, very, very, blurry, and the headings are blurry and blotchy. I contacted the publisher, Prenhall/Pearson, to notify them of the problem. They were absolutely unhelpful and didn't care that this type of book was on the market with their name on it. Amazon.com has done an excellent job in trying to replace my book (as well as my best friend's), but they've yet been able to find a "real" one. They've done their best. My book and my fellow student's are the same edition, by the way.

As far as the text, it's simplistic and basic for a Master's level book. I haven't learned much from this particular book. If I were the author or publisher, I would be really embarrassed to have my name on book with such poor print quality.

1.0 out of 5 stars is this foto copied?, September 15, 2008

By 

N. Theny (birmingham, AL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living (Paperback)

why my book looks like it's been fotocopied?????
it doesn't have any color, and all the pictures are blurred because it is suppose to be colored.. I tried to look at it in a textbook bookstore and they all have color.... is it legal???
I got it from amazon not the marketplace.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Confusing, January 17, 2007

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R. Toomey (MO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Introduction to Occupation: The Art and Science of Living (Paperback)

As I started to read this book the introduction seemed to be a conclusion summing up all the chapters to come. Entering into the first chapter left me frustrated because it also cited from the other chapters. I feel that I should be reading this book backwards, perhaps then I wouldn't be so confused. Perhaps if you can get through the first part of this book it gets better, good luck.