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Cited by 708

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 19 of the 19 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Defining Lives: Occupation as Identity: An Essay on Competence, Coherence, and the Creation of Meaning

Christiansen, Charles H.·1999·The American Journal of Occupational Therapy
DOI 10.5014/ajot.53.6.547
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Abstract

This article presents a view of occupation as the principal means through which people develop and express their personal identities. Based on a review of theory and research, it proposes that identity is instrumental to social life because it provides a context for deriving meaning from daily experiences and interpreting lives over time. The article proposes that identity also provides a framework for goal-setting and motivation. It is asserted that competence in the performance of tasks and occupations contributes to identity-shaping and that the realization of an acceptable identity contributes to coherence and well-being. Within this framework, it is postulated that performance limitations and disfigurement that sometimes result from illness or injury have identity implications that should be recognized by occupational therapy practitioners. By virtue of their expertise in daily living skills, occupational therapy practitioners are well positioned to help address the identity challenges of those whom they serve. In so doing, they make an important contribution to meaning and well-being.

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Metadata

Authors
Christiansen, C. H.
Venue
The American Journal of Occupational Therapy
Publisher
AOTA Press
Published
1999-11-01
Volume
53
Issue
6
Pages
547-558
ISSN
  • 0272-9490 (ISSN-L)
  • 1943-7676
DOI
10.5014/ajot.53.6.547
OpenAlex
W2121881579
Cited by
708
References
19
FWCI
27.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Defining Lives: Occupation as Identity: An Essay on Competence, Coherence, and the Creation of Meaning. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.5014/ajot.53.6.547
The paper
Christiansen, C. H. (1999). Defining Lives: Occupation as Identity: An Essay on Competence, Coherence, and the Creation of Meaning. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.53.6.547

Data sources

Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.

Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.