Taking a global look at human occupation, this groundbreaking text comprehensively explores people's participation in their respective lives' endeavors within their environments, their societies, and with each other. A renowned team of authors takes the view that occupations include all meaningful acts that collectively define and give meaning to daily life. This resource communicates a breadth of new information on the study of occupation-the defining experiences that reflect how culture, values, and opportunities shape everyday life.

Table of Contents:
  Chapter 1     An Introduction to Occupation by Charles Christiansen & Elizabeth Townsend  Chapter Profile   Introduction   Understanding the Complexity of Occupation   How Do You Occupy Your Time?   What Occupies You?   Occupations Create Meaning What Is Your Occupation?   How Does Context Determine What People Do (And When)?    Biological Factors    Psychological Factors    Contextual Factors Occupations, Health, Well-Being and Participation in Society Chapter Summary   References     Chapter 2   Cultural Perspectives on Occupations by Michael Iwama Chapter Profile Introduction Relativism and the Consequences of Culture    Culture in Time and Place    Culture as Shared Experience and Meanings    Science as Culture and Context for Occupational Knowledge Situated Constructions of Occupation: A Cultural Example Particular World Views: East Asian Views of the Cosmos    An Examination of the East Asian Version of the Cosmological Myth    Vertifical and Horizontal Social Indexing    Vertical Social Indexing    Horizontal Social Indexing Inter-dependence and “Amae” References   Chapter 3     The Study of Occupation by Helene Polatajko Chapter Profile   Introduction   Ways of Knowing Understanding the Who, What, When, Where, How and Why of Occupation    Disciplinary Ways of Knowing    Paradigms for Inquiry    Paradigms for the Study of Occupation Methods of Inquiry for the Study of Occupation    The Question    Design and Data Collection Methods Understanding Who   Understanding What   Understanding When   Understanding Where   Understanding How   Understanding Why   Chapter Summary   References   Endnotes    Chapter 4   What Is Occupation? Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Defining and Classifying Human Activity by Jennifer Jarman Chapter Profile   Introduction   Occupation in Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science   Occupation in the Social Sciences   Occupation in Government Statistics   Chapter Summary   References   Endnotes     Chapter 5   What Do People Do?  By Andrew Harvey & Wendy Pentland Chapter Profile   Introduction   The Structure of Daily Occupations   Conceptualizing What People Do Four Types of Occupations: Necessary, Contracted, Committed, Free Time Occupational Roles Life Projects Meaning of Activities and Occupations Factors Influencing What People Do: Intrinsic, Extrinsic Dimensions of Occupational Behavior Contextual Constraints Influencing Occupational Behavour   Why Study What People Do?   How Do We Find Out What People Do?   What Do People Do?      Time Use Across Countries Over Time    Time Use Across Sub-populations    The Context of Doing    Secondary Activity and Occupation Chapter Summary References     Chapter 6   Occupational Development by Jane Davis & Helene Polatajko Chapter Profile   Introduction   An Occupational Perspective on Development    An Occupational Perspective    A Perspective on Development Interactionism as a Framework for Occupat