Contrasting Perspectives on Work: An Exploratory Qualitative Study Based on the Concept of Adaptation

Abstract

Objectives. Objectives of this study were (a) to compare contrasting work experiences of five persons as alternative ways individuals select and use occupational opportunities available in their environments, and (b) to examine the adaptive significance of work in their Lives. Method. Five students in a graduate course on work and play as occupations each developed a work narrative for an adult of their choice that included how that person came to choose particular kinds of work, described the person’s current work experience, and examined the adaptive significance of work in the person’s Life. Data were gathered through observations in the persons’ work settings and through open-ended interviews. Comparative analysis of the five work narratives was completed by students and faculty members as a group. Results. Work narratives of a fast-food restaurant manager, a Life-flight nurse, a tennis teaching pro, a financial analyst, and a manufacturer’s representative for oil field equipment illustrate contrasting perspectives on work as “escaping from seclusion,” “establishing Life work,” “enacting a family tradition, ” “getting stuck, ”and “rebuilding a Life. ” The participants who modified or combined occupational opportunities in creative ways generally found their work more rewarding than those who accepted available work opportunities as unalterable “givens.” Conclusions. The adaptive significance of work for these persons had both short-term benefits, including intrinsic enjoyment of its activities and extrinsic benefits, such as social recognition and income, and long-term benefits of contributions to identity and contributions to purposes Larger than oneself.

A Methodology for Developing Evidence about Meaning in Occupation: Exploring the Meaning of Working

“…There has been limited research about the meaning of working within occupational therapy literature. Studies completed have been qualitative work (Spencer et al, 1998;Strong, 1998), which have generally described working as a positive experience that provides both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. These studies and other theoretical discussions on the meaning of working have developed a listing of some beliefs and valued outcomes associated with the meaning of working: working is a source of economic independence; it is a constrained role separate from other performance areas; it entails certain rights and obligations; it promotes energy expenditure and activity; it imposes structure; it provides individuals with goals and meanings that transcend their own lives; it gets individuals involved in society; it provides existential meaning; and it provides personal status and identity (Baker & Jacobs, in press;[ahoda, 1981;Ruiz Quintanilla & England, 1996) (see Baker & Jacobs, in press, for a more detailed description of the nature of working).…”

Learning from Stories: Narrative Interviewing in Cross-cultural Research

“…Narratives have been connected to an investigation of occupation, as theorists within occupational therapy have explored the link between making occupational choices and personal life stories [12,13,[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Clark has made a strong argument that the deepest path toward an understanding of a person's "occupational being" is through an understanding of lives as storytelling and storymaking enterprises.…”