What I learned in Introduction to OT

According to renowned psychiatrist Adolph Meyer, 3 characteristics distinguish man from all other organisms?

Meyer stated the three characteristics are: sense of time, capacity for imagination, and need for occupation.

OT’s have the capacity to learn from the past—if I sit to long reading my neck and back will get stiff and store. If I get up every 30 minutes and move around, I can continue to read and study and not be in pain.

With imagination we have the ability to look at possibilities of what if--what if I only had the use of one hand and needed to floss my teeth, I could buy a waterpik to floss my teeth.

Being human we are not content to just lie on the floor in a sun beam and wait until someone gets home to put food into our bowl. We want to engage in activities that bring us a sense of fulfillment. We want to fill our own bowls.

What is the tie between human existence and occupation?

Human beings exist because we have sought out occupations which provide us with shelter, food and warmth. We have created occupations that challenge us mentally. We have sought answers to questions and when we know the answer to the questions, we create more difficult questions to answer. Human beings exist because we have engaged in occupations that allow us to socialize.