Occupational terminology

This occupational terminology interactive dialogue outlines a construct that I have been developing since my doctoral work. Writing this paper has provided me with an opportunity to reflect on how the construct of ‘occupational possibilities’ has evolved, and how it provides a particular lens to examine transactions between structure and agency in the shaping of occupation at individual and collective levels. As such, this construct fits within the growing body of work in occupational science exploring theoretical and methodological approaches to addressing the ‘situated’ nature of occupation; that is, how occupation is shaped, embedded and negotiated within, as well as how it contributes to the shaping of, social systems and structures (Cutchin, Aldrich, Luc Ballaird, & Coppola, 2008; Dickie, Cutchin, & Humphry, 2006; Hocking, 2000; Phelan & Kinsella, 2009). Within this paper, after providing a description of the construct of occupational possibilities, I address its theoretical underpinnings within the governmentality perspective and raise questions and examples to illustrate its potential usefulness to further understanding of occupation as a situated phenomenon.