Engagement in Occupation (Motherhood); Doing, Being, Belonging, and Becoming
Anne Martens
Department of Occupational Therapy, Duke University
OTD 500; Occupation as a Mechanism of Health
Dr. Abigail Carroll and Dr. Emily Kertcher
August 29, 2022
Section 1: Background
What is Occupation?
The identity of my occupation is mother; in congruence with the term mother, I also identify as a parent, mom, mother, and mama.
How long have I been engaged in the occupation of motherhood?
Mid-July 2005 (~17 years ago), I began to engage in the occupation of motherhood and, thus, have done and continue to identify as a mother.
Why did I first start engaging in the occupation of motherhood, and why is this occupation important?
After a home pregnancy test confirmed my levels of ‘human growth hormone factor’ were indicative of a pregnancy, I began the process of assessing and reassessing my environment. My objective was to design, build, and rebuild my surroundings/environment with the immediate need of nurturing a pregnancy, and the prospective need of nurturing an infant, child, adolescent, teenager, and adult -this undertaking, continues to be an objective of my occupation. Therefore, on an individual level and a social/familial level, by engaging in this occupation, I make a concerted effort to optimize our environment(s) to support our present and future holistic health, inclusive of our physical, mental, and psycho-social needs.
Section 2: Motherhood and Doing
What is the definition of doing?
“The definition of doing includes the mental, physical, and psychosocial energies and actions” (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015, p.134). With a focus on the “doing” aspect of occupation and its relevance to action –the occupation of motherhood requires me to elicit, implement, utilize, develop, and maintain a unique subset of skills that are actively tailored to a defined and framed objective.
What activities do you do as a mother?
During my doing-related activities, I continuously transition/metamorphosize to adjust my doing to our needs for survival, which are also continuously fluid. Therefore, I must be acutely in tune with the potentiality and realization of the environment, and to my occupational doings/activities within the environment. Inclusive of basic needs, nurturing, and caring, in the ‘Appendix’ section, I broadly describe my activities across the sleep-wake continuum.’
What happens when I analyze my doings of occupation and what do I acquire when engaging in the occupation of motherhood?
When I analyze what I do/perform when engaging in the occupation of motherhood, I note the following acquisitions:
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acquirement and utilization of skills that provide for our needs (and thus survival) via driving, organizing, cleaning, online activities, food preparation, discussion, reading, preparing, praxis/forethought/planning, etc.
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acquirement of a connection to our immediate environment, prospective environment, as well as our relationship/connection to the individual’s environment via evening phone calls and rapport-building
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acquirement of financial sustenance via a different occupation (student and employee) to provide those services to maintain our environment and provide for our future environment
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acquirement of pets to love and cherish via tending to our guinea pigs, fish, hamster, cat, and dog as a connection need and educational resource
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acquirement of health services via communication between health providers and community services that support our needs
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acquirement of safety via assessing and reassessing my children’s needs to prioritize the health and well-being of myself and my children
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acquirement of a partnership via a collaboration with my husband
Section 3: Motherhood and Being
What is the definition of being?
“The doing component of the human occupation repertoire is dependent on regular time for stillness and reflection. This quiet time is described here as being, and it is essentially a personal rather than a social aspect of occupation” (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015, p.135). A sense of self that envelops someone’s fundamental makeup depends on the environment of one’s occupation; a sense of self may include the reflection upon community, physical, social, mental, and spiritual contemplations. For example, my being as a mother and internalizing a statement such as, ‘I am a mother,” is a means and method to meet our (my children and I) basic survival needs.
How does the occupation of motherhood contribute to your awareness of your essence, true self, and spirit?
Being encompasses my sense of true/unique self in relation to my feelings, my nature /spirit, and my truth – my inner experience and are awareness of essence. Therefore, when pondering how to approach this paper, I asked myself the following question: Is it all the same; is motherhood a homogenous experience across the life spectrum? Being a mother requires consideration of the physiologic, anatomical, psychosocial, developmental, and mental health changes my children have experienced across their life spectrum. Therefore, my occupational needs connect me to an experience of caring and nurturing that is beyond myself and is a tensile mind state that is applicable to the past, present, and future. As such, the following may be helpful for further explanation:
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Presently, being is the awareness/cognizance of their sensory perception of the here-and-now
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Retroactively, being is a conveyance mechanism to an occupational experience that allows one to access past sensory information input, reflections on the experience, and further insights.
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Prospectively, a “vision of possibility” is achievable via being, and thus, a futuristic sensing / experiencing-like perspective to move toward
Therefore, being is a transport in time to a different occupational environment, a different occupational mechanism, and a different occupational need. For example, my occupation as a mother to an infant required a different environment, skill set, and inward reflection than my occupation as a mother to a 5-year-old child.
Section 4: Motherhood and Belonging
What is the definition of belonging?
“People are described as social beings because, throughout time, they have lived in familial, communal, and larger social groups to help meet the necessary and chosen occupations that comprise life” (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015, p.137). Being is often explained as a connection to people, places, or things that, in turn, helps one be a participant and a constituent linked to / related to / allied with what provides one with a ‘sense of fitting in.’ For myself, my health depends on my occupational belonging to a particular environment, which is a means and method to create and maintain the health and well-being of myself and my children.
How does belonging connect me to others, and how does the occupation of motherhood contribute to my sense of belonging to something?
Throughout my social and cultural environments, it was imperative I was connected to my familial community; especially as a child, my desire to belong, was an important means of connecting my person to a larger community, my family. Immediately after birthing my daughter, I was classified as a ‘mom’; within my new occupation of motherhood, I felt a new connection to my family. In turn, I was beginning to see and re-connect to my family, inclusive of my parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all in a new light—from the shared perspective of a ‘parent’ and thus, began my belonging to my broader family as my occupation, “a mother.”
Section 5: Motherhood and Becoming
What is the definition of becoming?
“Throughout time, humans have developed and become different through what they have done daily, occasionally, or sometimes only at once” (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015, p.137).
How have I developed through the occupation of motherhood, and what is the relevance of ‘change’?
By studying becoming, I am aware of how I developed through the occupation of motherhood. In considerable part, I developed through the occupation of motherhood by analyzing my previous and present performances to assess and set future goals or visions of possibility. Becoming a mother and embodying the occupation of motherhood is a life-changing experience; the intensity of the assessing and reassessing process helped me develop a unique subset of skills related to cleaning, cooking, planning, caring, communicating, partnering, financial planning, and nurturing. These skills required (and still require) the patience/attitude that allowed for the learning process to unfold from a place of feeling unsure and missing the familiar emotions of competence to a place of knowing. Over time, the activity and doing of motherhood changed me, and I became a different person by adapting to an ever-changing environment with a fixed goal of caring for both myself and my children.
Section 6: Motherhood and Well-being
What is the definition of well-being?
Well-being is a broad phase that refers to all components of what constitutes a decent life, including and applicable to the following factors: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, economic, and social.
Figure 1
Re-creation of Figure 5-3 from An Occupational Perspective of Health (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015, p.139)
The above image depicts specific and concrete elements of my occupation that have been contributors to my physical health and well-being. My physical well-being and my children’s physical well-being are, in part, dependent on my doing and becoming. With the companionship of my children and in alignment with our needs, I adjust my sleep schedule, shop and prepare specific nutritional foods, and care for / nurture my children; if I cannot participate in these activities that I love, I physically feel pain / the absence of well-being. Separate from my children, I exercise as well as work and pursue graduate studies so I may provide income, health benefits, and dental benefits now and in the future. The above elements that influence my physical health and well-being not only support my doing and becoming but also support my somatic (or bodily) abilities, which are essential for engaging in the occupation of motherhood.
Figure 2
Recreation of Figure 5-4 from An Occupational Perspective of Health (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015, p.139)
The above image depicts specific and concrete elements of my occupation that have contributed to my mental health and well-being. My family’s mental health and well-being are, in part, dependent on my being and becoming. By focusing on becoming, I connect to educational resources to attain abilities and skills for motherhood, structure my occupation to meet interests and capacities and value a close connection with those in my environment. By focusing on being, I found meaning in the occupation of motherhood and developed memories that later helped me in my occupation. The above elements influence my mental health and well-being by supporting my being and becoming and supporting the emotions and contemplations essential for engaging in the occupation of motherhood.
Figure 3
Recreation of Figure 5-5 from An Occupational Perspective of Health (Wilcock & Hocking, 2015, p.139)
The above image depicts specific and concrete elements of my occupation that have contributed to my social health and well-being. My social health and well-being for myself and my family partly depend on my belonging and becoming. By focusing on belonging, I connect to pivotal and supportive relationships and attain a shared purpose with fellow caregivers. By focusing on becoming, I envision myself as a mother and set goals within the occupation of motherhood to continue to shape my environment (e.g., house purchase, car purchase) via connecting my savings (e.g., finances and economic planning) toward a community that supports motherhood. The above elements influence my social health and well-being not only by supporting my belonging and becoming but also by communicating and contributing to people in my environment who are essential for engaging in the occupation of motherhood.
Conclusion: How is the occupation of motherhood a primary source of health and a source of justice?
By analyzing the functions and purpose of occupation, one is provided insight into the life of an individual, as well as provide a descriptor of their community. By selecting the occupation of motherhood, I describe the occupation I have engaged in regularly and over time and an occupation that has become a part of how I identify myself. Therefore, the occupation of motherhood includes my doing, being, belonging, and becoming, which is the primary source of health for myself and my children. Through the occupation of motherhood, I acquire the skills addressed in section 2 (doing); meet the basic survival needs, addressed in section 3 (being); connect to others, addressed in section 4 (belonging); develop and reflect on a sense of self to realize more and more potential, addressed in section 5 (becoming). All the above-mentioned skills and components describe the connection between the occupation of motherhood and health. As such, this connection demonstrates the basis for why occupation is a mechanism of health and why occupation is a derivative of my connection to physical, mental, and social well-being. Furthermore, doing, being, becoming, and belonging enable occupation as a mechanism in health and well-being at both the individual and community levels. Thus, if the occupation of motherhood were denied to me, the injustice experienced as a void or absence would affect me, the individual, my children, my neighborhood community, and my broader community.
Reference
Wilcock, A., & Hocking, C. (2015). An Occupational Perspective of Health (Third ed.). Slack Incorporated.