Developmental stages of occupational therapy and the feminist movement

Developmental stages characterize the growth of both the feminist movement and the field of occupational therapy. The human development stages described by Erik Erikson are used to compare the growth stages of these two groups to the human sequence. It is hypothesized that both female-dominated groups began with an "infancy" period in the early 1900s characterized by the beginnings of identity and confidence in their respective groups. Both continued to develop through stages corresponding to the childhood stages characterized by Erikson and into the adolescent acting out stages as characterized by the demonstrations of the 1960s. Present and future trends are explored in relation to developmental stages, as well as to implications for the field of occupational therapy in education, theory, and practice.