Focus on occupational therapists' paradigms

The primary aim of this study was to identify and characterize the percepti ons of seven experienced occupational therapists' about their profession, i n particular with respect to a 'world view' and a 'field of action view'. T he secondary aim was to determine whether there were similarities among the respondents' personal paradigms that could constitute a potential, local i deology for the group. The study has an explorative design based on Tornebo hm's theory of paradigms. Qualitative data were collected on three occasion s during the autumn of 1996, using audio- and video-taped, thematic discuss ions, involving focus groups. The data were analysed qualitatively within t he two paradigm components, 'world view' and 'field of action view'. The re sults show several unifying factors, and dissimilarities were limited to sp ecifications within these unifying factors, with respect to the respondents ' notions. The unifying factors could be described as a potential. local id eology for the group.