Uncovering personal meaning construction through occupation from a psychoanalytic perspective

Historically, occupational scientists have drawn from a diverse array of
theoretical and philosophical resources in the study of human occupation.
However, insights offered by psychoanalytic theory regarding human
behavior have received little attention from occupational scientists.
Although psychoanalytic theory has primarily been developed as a
psychotherapeutic treatment modality and a framework for understanding
early child development and psychopathology, it offers valuable insights into
dynamics that underpin human doing, experience, and meaning
construction. Drawing on Nancy Chodorow’s psychoanalytic theory, this
paper provides a perspective on how the three interrelated processes: a)
fantasizing, b) projection, and c) introjection can underpin personal
meaning construction through occupation.