Looking back.

Abstract

This historical review reveals that our profession has a solid understanding of occupation and its meaning to the injured or ill worker. Pioneer occupational therapists developed elemental concepts of work, basic skills of evaluation, and therapeutic uses of work skills. Our last generation of therapists has added theories and vital concepts of occupational behavior and human adaptation. The integration of our knowledge through further discourse, research, theory building, writing, and practice will enable us to use our understanding of human development through occupation to evaluate the work role of any individual regardless of age or disability. An unnamed patient (26) translates our philosophy into simple and direct language: "The joy of doing work and doing it well broadens the mind and extends to the outside world."