self by others at pretest
Greg’s pretest mission statement
Greg’s visualized perception of self by others at posttest
Greg’s posttest mission statement
General comments about the Proposed Change Protocol
PART IV Occupational therapy, occupational science and future occupational needs
Chapter 7 Occupational therapy, occupational science and future occupational needs
Learning objectives
Factors affecting future occupational justice in contemporary society
Population growth
Inequalities in resource distribution and the problem of poverty
Occupational therapists, occupational scientists, and future occupational needs
Working with individuals and groups in the community
Working with individuals and communities at the grassroots to facilitate action
Participation in the development of a human-focused economic system
Expanding the profession’s scope of practice
Acknowledgements
We would first and foremost like to thank all the reviewers who closely examined our book proposal and provided very useful feedback. Their comments helped make this book a much better product than it would otherwise have been. Many thanks to David and the entire editorial team of Whiting & Birch Publishers, Ltd, for their assistance to us in this project.
Thanks also to our students, occupational therapy clients, and research participants in all our various scholarly ventures who continue to be our teachers and our motivators as we strive to be better clinicians, researchers, and teachers.
The first author would like to thank Marie Anne Ben for her love and support throughout this project, and Susanna Davila (his adopted mom) for her love, warmth, and support. As always, Susanna’s pride in his work gives him strength to continue during those moments when he feels like giving up. Her feedback to an earlier draft of the book manuscript was very valuable.
The first author would like to thank his department Chair, Barbara Brockevelt, the dean of the School of Health Sciences, Mike Lawler, and the faculty in the Occupational Therapy Department at the University of South Dakota for their continued support in all his work. This book would not have been possible without all their support and encouragement.
Finally, he would like to thank his two children, Ivan and Nora, his sisters and brothers-in-law, and his nieces and nephews for always providing that critical family support that gives him the confidence to keep going in the knowledge that they are always available to support him in all he does, not matter what life brings his way.
The second author would like to thank his colleagues at Sheffield Hallam University for their support, encouragement and interest in this project, and Linda, Sally, Molly, Joshua, and Daisy for their patience when he was ‘too busy working’ for meaningful engagements.
Dedication
To my late adopted US dad, Dick Curtis who was a valued friend, mentor, and a gentle critic of all my work, and my adopted mom, Susanna Davila who continues to be a valuable source of love and support in all my work.
Moses
To my wife Linda, who makes it all possible
Nick
Introduction
Frankl (1992) postulated that the will to meaning is the primary motivation for behavior in human existence. Frustration of the pursuit for meaning, especially in the 20th century (and probably in the 21st century in the modern and Western world as well), constituted what he referred to as “existential vacuum”. The cause of this vacuum is a decline of engagement in realistic transcendental activities such as philosophical discourses, religious practice, or activities providing a concrete sense of purpose such as planting and harvesting, combined with a corresponding increase in materialism, reductionism, and nihilism (Mascaro & Rosen, 2005). According to Frankl (1992), this existential vacuum led to a major disease of our times which he called “noogenic neurosis” (existential neurosis). Simply stated, noogenic neurosis may be conceptualized as a disease of meaninglessness. Symptoms of this ‘disease’, as Frankl termed it, include boredom, anxiety, alcohol and substance abuse, depression, and even suicide.
Although the medical implication of Frankl’s description of noogenic neurosis as a disease might be debatable, his postulations have been discussed in detail by a host of psychologists, philosophers, and sociologists. Numerous studies have been conducted, and the results have been found
