CONTINUITY AND CHANGE - PAST EXPERIENCE AS ADAPTIVE REPERTOIRE IN OCCUPATIONAL ADAPTATION

Narratives are gaining recognition as important ways occupational ther apists and other clinicians can think about the life stories of client s, The purpose of this article is to examine a conceptualization of ho w changes from one chapter to another occur in life stories, using the metaphor of an adaptive repertoire, and to consider how this notion c an be useful in helping clients maintain continuity and a coherent lif e story in rimes of change. Three premises based on the concept of ada ptation address (a) configurations of occupational forms embedded in p articular local worlds (b) cumulative development of an adaptive reper toire that allows one to perform both competently ann appropriately, a nd (c) adaptive transitions and application of one's repertoire to new circumstances. Implications research and clinical practice in occupat ional therapy also are examined.