ABSTRACT
Whether occupation is engaged in at an individual level, as a member of a group, or as part of community, phenomenology is most interested in the essence of the individual’s experience. The experience of occupation is unique to each person; even if the person is able to repeat the same occupation, the experience will be different again each time. It is the person’s experience and coming to understand the meaning of the phenomenon that sits at the heart of phenomenology. The task of the phenomenological researcher is to bring to the fore the underlying meaning of experience. While there are several types of phenomenological research, in this chapter the focus is on interpretive phenomenology, sometimes called hermeneutic or Heideggerian phenomenology. Interpretive phenomenology offers a way of doing research that aligns with occupational science’s fundamental tenets; and for occupational therapists, it can inform ways of being in practice and building sound evidence to inform practice. Throughout this chapter, the author draws on an interpretive phenomenological study (Reed, 2008) that explored the meaning of occupation for adults from Aotearoa New Zealand who had experienced a disruption to their occupations.
