Résumé
Les classifications usuelles des occupations telles qu’on les retrouve dans les écrits en ergothérapie et en sciences de l’occupation les définissent selon leur fonction socialement attribuée. Ainsi, les occupations humaines sont souvent catégorisées selon qu’elles font partie des soins personnels, des loisirs ou de la productivité. La construction de ces catégories est socialement ancrée dans le contexte occidental, et porte une idée de norme. Une typologie distinguant les occupations selon l’expérience individuelle d’engagement occupationnel peut être complémentaire à la classification dite sociale. Elle permettrait de saisir plus globalement les occupations des individus en se centrant sur leur perspective et sur leur bien-être, ouvrant la prise en compte concrète de l’importance que peuvent prendre pour un individu les occupations difficilement classables dans les catégories usuelles, comme les occupations collectives. Cette catégorisation basée sur l’engagement occupationnel reste encore minoritaire dans les écrits scientifiques en anglais. Il est dès lors pertinent de nourrir la réflexion autour de l’utilité et l’utilisation de ce type de typologie et de documenter ses applications pratiques dans le monde francophone.
The usual classifications of occupations as they are mainly found in occupational therapy and occupation sciences literature, define them according to their socially attributed function. Thus, human occupations are often categorized as personal care, leisures or productivity. The construction of these categories is socially rooted in the Western context and carries an idea of norm. A typology that distinguish occupation depending to the individual experience of occupational engagement may be complementary to the social classification. It would make it possible to grasp more globally people’s occupations by focusing on their perspective and their well-being, allowing a concrete consideration of the importance that can have occupations difficult to classify in the usual categories for an individual, such as collective occupations. This categorization based on occupational engagement is still little documented in the scientific literature in English. It is therefore relevant to feed the debate around the usefulness and use of this type of typology and to document its practical applications in the French-speaking areas.
The usual classifications of occupations as they are mainly found in occupational therapy and occupation sciences literature, define them according to their socially attributed function. Thus, human occupations are often categorized as personal care, leisures or productivity. The construction of these categories is socially rooted in the Western context and carries an idea of norm. A typology that distinguish occupation depending to the individual experience of occupational engagement may be complementary to the social classification. It would make it possible to grasp more globally people’s occupations by focusing on their perspective and their well-being, allowing a concrete consideration of the importance that can have occupations difficult to classify in the usual categories for an individual, such as collective occupations. This categorization based on occupational engagement is still little documented in the scientific literature in English. It is therefore relevant to feed the debate around the usefulness and use of this type of typology and to document its practical applications in the French-speaking areas.