Three Elements of Adaptation
The process of occupational adaptation involves the interaction of three basic elements, the person, the occupational environment, and the interaction between them. While the model defines each part separately, their interrelationships in reality are complex and dynamic.
· Each person possesses an internal desire for mastery. The desire for mastery of the environment is viewed as an innate human condition, even at the cellular level. Additionally, each individual brings unique sensorimotor, cognitive, and psychosocial systems that contribute in varying degrees to all occupations.
· Occupational environments are made up of occupational roles regarding work, play/leisure, and self-care, and occupational contexts representing physical, social, and cultural influences on occupational performance.
· The person-occupational environment interaction involves several stages or levels: the press for mastery presents an occupational challenge, which then interacts with the occupational role expectations to yield an occupational response. This occupational response is the external observable outcome representing the internal process of occupational adaptation (Schultz, 2014).