OCCUPATION - PURPOSEFULNESS AND MEANINGFULNESS AS THERAPEUTIC MECHANISMS

The model of occupational functioning leads the author to conceptualiz e occupatio both as treatment end goal and as means to remediate impai rments. In both dimensions, meaningfulness and purposefulness are key therapeutic qualities. Purposefulness is hypothesized to organize beha vior and meaningfulness to motivate performance. These aspects of occu pation need explicaton through research. Some questions that need to b e answered include the following: How does purposefulness of occupatio n-as-end organize a person's life? Does purposefulness of occupation-a s-means organize particular behavioral responses? What effect does mea ningfulness of occupation-as-end have on achievement of role performan ce? Does meaningfulness of occupation-as-means motivate perseverance a nd effort during therapy?