Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 8, 2026

Task Interruption and Resumption Paradigm for Testing the Activation and Pursuit of an Abstract Thinking Goal
Published on: April 18, 2017
An argument for pragmatism as a foundational philosophy of occupational therapy
Moses N Ikiugu1, Sally Schultz
1Department of Occupational Therapy, Division of Health Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion 57069-2390, USA. mikiugu@usd.edu
Background:
In 1986, Estelle Breines argued that occupational therapy identity problems could be resolved by acquiring tools that enable therapists to analyze their profession in a sophisticated manner. Breines identified philosophical inquiry as one of these tools.
Purpose:
This study examined how pragmatism can provide a philosophical framework for occupational therapy practice and knowledge.
Method:
An analysis of a sample of occupational therapy literature, philosophy of pragmatism literature, and Slagle lectures delivered between 1955 and 1995 was completed. Themes underlying the assumptions, principles, and values articulated in the literature and the Slagle lectures were identified and compared.
Results:
Findings of the analysis indicate that some of the core assumptions, principles, and values of occupational therapy as identified in occupational therapy literature and the Slagle lectures are conceptually consistent with those of the philosophy of pragmatism.
Practice Implications:
Pragmatism may provide a philosophical framework to organize the knowledge and practice of occupational therapy and assist with clarifying the profession's identity.
Related Concept Videos
Humanistic Therapy
Theoretical Foundations of Nursing Practice
Theories provide a perspective to assess patients' conditions and organize data and methods. They also assist in analyzing and interpreting information. They represent a...
Functionalism
James envisioned psychology's role as...
Gestalt Psychology
Humanistic Psychology
This approach...
Behaviorism
The core premise of behaviorism is its focus on observable behavior rather than internal thoughts or feelings. This approach argues that true scientific...
