The Essential Elements of Professional Motivation

This article explores how the continuing development of occupational therapy has been fuelled by three essential elements: philosophy, theory and practice. It examines how the interplay between these elements maintains and drives the profession and discusses the part that individual therapists play in sustaining the progress of the whole. The profession is vulnerable. Philosophy, theory and practice are becoming disconnected, leading to dampening of energy and distraction from our professional purpose. Possible explanations are suggested, including internal factors, such as the widening split between academics and clinicians, and external factors, such as changes in health policy. Strengthening the links between philosophy, theory and practice will ensure that occupational therapy remains healthy and progressive. The article concludes with some practical recommendations about what can be done to bring the philosophers, theorists and practitioners together, to fire individual motivations and re-energise the profession.