Eudaimonic Well‐being: Its Importance and Relevance to Occupational Therapy for Humanity

Abstract

Contemporary critique of the philosophy and theory of occupational therapy has asserted that the mainstream of the profession holds a westernized view of the world and that occupational therapy has been shackled to notions of health/illness and the medical establishment for too long, hampering movement into social and political spheres. Strategies and developments have been proposed to combat these biases, which have included increased cultural relativism and a re-focus on the subjective experience of occupation. The value placed on "being" in occupational therapy philosophy is described alongside the related terms of occupational integrity and spirituality. Drawing on theory and research from psychology, this paper proposes the construct of eudaimonic well-being as both relevant and valuable to occupational therapy in re-conceptualizing the profession, countering some of the central tensions in the identity of the profession and re-asserting that well-being through occupation is for all and for humanity. Finally, the paper proposes that well-being, in a eudaimonic sense, should be advertised and evidenced as a routine outcome of occupational therapy and consolidated into occupational therapy models as a relevant and meaningful concept.

In the Footsteps of Wilcock, Part One: The Evolution of Doing, Being, Becoming, and Belonging

“…This elusive quality is at odds with modern healthcare contexts (Wilcock, 2006), but may also stem from nuances within the term itself. Nevertheless, it has now become the most prominent dimension (despite concerns about the marginalization of experience) (Hayward & Taylor, 2011;Persson et al, 2001).…”

“…Doing is broadly similar across a range of people (Hayward & Taylor, 2011); for example, there are only so many ways to take a shower. This makes doing amenable to generalized approaches to assessment and treatment, which form the practices of occupational therapy.…”

Eudemonic Care: A Future Path for Occupational Therapy?

“…The purpose of the current paper is to explore occupational therapy based upon the concept of eudemonic well-being as proposed by Hayward and Taylor (2011) and further elaborate on its potential use in occupational therapy services and models. (2011) definition of eudemonia.…”

“…The purpose of the current paper is to explore occupational therapy based upon the concept of eudemonic well-being as proposed by Hayward and Taylor (2011) We identify three areas of occupational therapy assessment or occupational therapy process wherein the set of client-centered questions may be posited. The first area is during the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) (Law et al, 2005), which is a commonly used standardized assessment tool in occupational therapy.…”

“…In a seminal article, Hayward and Taylor (2011) successfully linked the concept of eudemonic well-being to occupational therapy.…”