Vardagslivets aktiviteter. Handlingen som terapeutiskt redskap vid återhämtning för personer med svårare psykiska funktionshinder : En analys av arbetsterapeuters berättelser med utgångspunkt i G H Meads teori om social handling

Sammanfattning: There is a need of community-based treatment methods with focus on everyday occupations, for persons with severe mental disabilities. The importance of occupation in achieving health has been highlighted in large mental hospitals and community-based service/support designed for people with severe mental disabilities who today live in society. Despite this support these people are in a vulnerable position, as they often have extensive difficulties in carrying out daily occupations which also leads to poorer well-being and health conditions. In the rehabilitation process, it is necessary to enable the person to use her own effort to perform activities. Occupational therapy has a unique role in community-based efforts for people with severe mental disabilities through their person-centered practices approaches and knowledge of daily occupations and how these can be used as therapeutic means of recovery and development of the self.The purpose of the study is to use theory about social action to contribute theoretical understanding about how everyday occupations are used as a therapeutic means for people with severe mental disabilities in occupational therapy, with the goal of contributing to their recovery and development of self. A qualitative, interpretative approach is used in the study to examine how everyday life can be used as a therapeutic tool. Empirical data of 11 events were generated from interviews with four occupational therapists. A theoretical tool developed by George Herbert Mead’s social psychological theory of the social act, were used as a frame for new-descriptions. Through abductive analyses reconstructed events are given new (theoretical) understanding.The result indicate that the social acts have met such difficulties that they have almost ceased and at the same time risk losing their meaning. The therapist adjusts the activity to find the level at which the person can participate with his/her own experience in the implementation of the everyday action. This gives the person with severe mental disabilities opportunities to use one self in the social process which eventually makes the person regain the ability to perform everyday activities