Rebecca Twinley

The dark side of occupation: a concept for consideration.

Occupation is the core concept of the occupational therapy profession and its underlying philosophy, and has long been the primary topic of concern for occupational scientists. As a result, occupation has been continuously defined and discussed by occupational therapists and scientists, with our understanding of what constitutes occupation ever-evolving. The focus of occupational therapy and science literature has been upon occupation and its link to good health and wellbeing. Occupation has therefore largely been understood as something positive and productive for the individual, groups and communities. Only recently has this belief begun to be challenged (Kiepek & Magalhaes, 2011). This article presents the assertion that occupation must be viewed as many-sided, multifaceted and that, of these many ‘sides’, there is a dark side to occupation (Twinley & Addidle, 2012). The dark side is understood to include various dimensions of occupation that have not, traditionally, been examined by occupational therapy theorists, researchers and practitioners and occupational scientists, and which may not lead to good health and/ or wellbeing. Reference is made to an online discussion forum in which a talk about the dark side of occupation was facilitated; contributions from this discussion are included as examples of some people’s current opinions regarding the dark side of occupation. The article concludes with recommendations for how to implement a consideration of the dark side into research, theory, education and practice.

Considering Violence: The Dark Side of Occupation

This opinion piece discusses current thinking on, and approaches to, violence from the fields of occupational therapy, occupational science and criminology. A change in how occupation is both defined and examined is anticipated, rather than considering only prosocial occupations. The authors propose the need for an increase in work that explores the impact of antisocial occupations upon other occupations and upon health and wellbeing; occupational therapists and scientists must, therefore, develop their theory, practice and research to include due consideration of antisocial occupations. Owing to the primary authors interests, there is a focus upon the antisocial occupation of violence.

Are we achieving occupation-focused practice?

In 2012, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) accredited the College of Occupational Therapists (COT) practice guideline, Occupational therapists’ use of occupation-focused practice in secure hospitals (COT 2012). This practice guideline evaluated the evidence base available to therapists working within secure (that is, locked) adult mental health settings. However, the guideline affirms that occupation-focused practice is pertinent to all of our work, whether based within secure settings or not. The themes identified have much to offer occupational therapists in all areas of practice and research, with realistic recommendations such as understanding and considering the impact of the environment and time, working with service users, and the need to increase our evidence base.

Identifying an epistemology of hope through researching woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault

This auto/biographical account details my experience of generating what I would term an “Epistemology of Hope” through researching the traumatic experience of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault...

Developing my Research Identity (Embodying the Self) through Exploring the Experience of Woman- to-Woman Rape and Sexual Assault Victim/Survivors: Doing, Being, Becoming, and Belonging

Aim/Purpose Engagement in doctoral training is intended to lead to personal development, as well as – of course the development of a person’s skills as a researcher. Having engaged in the occupation of doctoral training, I aim to reflect upon how my identity as researcher developed throughout this process; that is, through doing, being, becoming, and belonging. The aim of my doctoral research was to explore the impact of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault. Hence, the foundational themes explored in this paper are sexual offending, auto/biography, and the significance of identity. Background I commenced my doctoral training as someone who identified as an occupational scientist and who, therefore, understood that occupation is a means through which people can develop, express themselves, and achieve some sense of belonging. Having completed my training, I reflect upon my becoming an auto/biographical researcher. Methodology In this original paper, I use the sociologically-informed auto/biographical approach, which affords me with the rationale for writing from the first-person perspective. Auto/biography concedes the combined inclusion of my own voice – as researcher and the experiences of my respondents. Contribution Little is known about the issue of woman-to-woman sexual offending, let alone the impact of researching this traumatic topic upon the researcher. Moreover, research has only relatively recently started to grow that explicitly uses an auto/biographical approach, in which researchers embrace their subjectivity and positionality within their work. Developing my Research Identity 156 Findings Identifying as an auto/biographical researcher, I appreciate how my respondents – in terms of their identity and the stories they told me were integral to my development. That is, I engaged in the process of developing and understanding the Self through exploring the perceived impacts of woman-to-woman rape and sexual assault. Recommendations for Practitioners I invite practitioners to share their awareness that woman-to-woman sexual offending is a very real phenomenon. Additionally, your engagement in or with research (which can include being the audience, or reader of research) is one way in which you can gain understanding of your Self. Recommendation for Researchers I invite others to reflect upon how embodying the Self can lead you to gain selfknowledge through direct experience. Good, moral research practice does not have to involve the researcher remaining objective, neutral, and value-free. Your subjective and personal experiences as the researcher may well support the use of an auto/biographical approach. Impact on Society Researching traumatic topics can have a varied emotional and professional impact upon researchers that warrants scrutiny. Use of an auto/biographical approach, in which the researcher’s insider status is made explicit has enabled this researcher (me) to manage this impact, whilst also developing my knowledge, experience and Self. Future Research Research that should follow on from this paper must continue to explore working auto/biographically when researching traumatic topics and biographical disruptions.

Sexual Orientation and Occupation: Some Issues to Consider When Working with Older Gay People to Meet Their Occupational Needs

The surge of people now entering their older adult lives in many societies, including the United Kingdom, makes understanding and meeting the occupational needs of this population paramount. For many older gay people, growing up presented a unique set of challenges, some of which may still be experienced as barriers to realizing and/or overcoming their occupational needs. Sexual orientation is understood as one of many factors that can impact upon the individual experience of occupation and justice, and this opinion piece highlights four of the potential threats to occupational justice for some older gay people. It proposes that such challenges have triggered associated occupational needs for some older gay people — needs that remain largely obscure and unrecognized in occupational therapy literature. Please note: The term ‘gay’ has been chosen for the purpose of this opinion piece to refer to anyone who has intimate same-sex relationships or feelings.

Response to Re: The dark side of occupation: A concept for consideration

exploration in the context of occupational therapy and health. 5. It is difficult for a profession with its feet traditionally and firmly grounded in health and social care to acknowledge areas of practice that might condone and even promote participation in occupations that compromise health. A re-investigation of our core beliefs about human occupation might see occupational therapists approach such instances with more clarity. Twinley’s article does much to challenge ubiquitous beliefs in a causal relationship between occupation and health. Moreover, it recognises the position of people who find meaning in occupations that compromise health. As the profession comes to terms with how to position itself in working with people who find meaning in deviant, disruptive and harmful occupations, further conversations exploring the dark side of occupation are essential and I thank the author for stimulating this debate. Craig Greber School of Health and Sport Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia E-mail: cgreber@usc.edu.au