The Whole of the Moon: How Our Occupational Lens Helps or Hinders Our Exploration of the Dark Side of Occupation

The dark side of occupation presents a number of challenges to our theory and practice norms, and this chapter explores the capacity of our existing ‘occupational lens’ to attend to diverse occupational lives. Our ability to meet the dark side of occupation effectively relies on our professions self-awareness and willingness to challenge theoretical norms, as part of refining, maturing, and modernising our understanding of occupation.
The dark side of occupation is not directly represented in existing models of practice, however, they present opportunities for practitioners to attend to the dark side like any other facet of occupation, provided they turn their attention towards it. The effective use of our occupational lens requires us to be willing to look at unfamiliar, sometimes uncomfortable concepts and be willing to see occupation in its totality.