Research Proposal Presentation London Region College of Occupational Therapy Conference Lesley Osbiston September 2006

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Research Proposal PresentationLondon Region
College of Occupational Therapy ConferenceLesley
OsbistonSeptember 2006

• Does an understanding of play and flow lead to
  greater understanding of creativity and leisure
  in Occupational Therapy?

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Objectives

• Author perspective
• Relevance of the research topic to OT
• A definition of relevant terms
• An overview of the literature
• Defining the research question
• Future developments

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Author perspective
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Relevance to Occupational Therapy

• Creativity and play are often used as approaches
• without a common definition
• Leisure - ambiguous definition
• Productivity, creativity, play or relaxation?
• Flow - a suggested resolution between the
  dichotomies of leisure and play (Parham, 1996)
  similarities with OT theory despite limited use

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Definitions of Play

• Evolves into playfulness during adolescence
• A medium for intervention
• A paradox, due to associations of fun
  facilitating a lack
• of seriousness by the OT profession
• (Vandenburg Keilhofner, 1982 Bundy, 1993)

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Components of play in children (Guitard, Ferland
Dutil, 2005)
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Flow is a subjective psychological experience
that occurs during total absorption in activities
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1975)

• Voluntary
• Autotelic activity
• Concentration
• Clear goals ?
• Control
• Loss of ego
• Timelessness
• Meaningful outcome
• Immediate feedback

• Resulting in
• Exploration
• Discovery
• Problem-solving
• Comparable to the stages
• of change necessary for
• adaptation during OT
• Exploration
• Competency
• Achievement
• (Keilhofner, 2002)

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The Flow Channel (Csikszentmihalyi, 2002)
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Creativity is complex and indistinct a
continuum for conscious to unconscious, simulated
to natural and from real to symboliccontaining
elements that are unstructured, ambiguous and
allow for self-expression (Mosey, 1987 p179)
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Schmid (2004) investigated meanings of creativity
with OT practitioners

• Findings showed
• Multi-faceted perceptions
• Difficulties to define, which suggest greater
  difficulties for service-users
• Links to crafts/expressive activities
• Choice was associated with OT skill over client
  selection

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Literature ReviewPlay and Flow

• Perssons (1996) case study of creative
  occupations
• with chronic pain patients was the only study
  identified
• to investigate both play and flow
• Simultaneous consideration of play/flow
  restricted understanding of the relative
  importance of play and flow, supporting need for
  independent investigation
• Credibility for flow was reduced due to a lack of
  autotelic activities the researcher planned the
  workshops without declared participant input

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Components of playfulness in adults and their
relationships (Guitard, Ferland Dutil, 2005)
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Flow

• Evidence of flow as a qualitative primary
  research topic was limited. Findings referenced
  to flow were associated with intrinsic motivation
  and the just-right-challenge, supporting
  relevance to OT (Dickerson, 2000 Fieldhouse,
  2003 Scheerer, Cahill, Kirby Lane, 2004)
• Quantitative studies of flow supported integrity
  of the flow channel, with art/hobbies most likely
  to engender flow (Massimini, Csikszentmihalyi
  Carli, 1987)
• However, a further study with healthy adults
  found flow occurred most frequently during work,
  attributed to many leisure activities requiring
  low-level skills and challenges, which suggested
  flow occurrence may differ according to health
  status (Csikszentmihalyi Le Fevre, 1989)

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Creativity

• A majority of studies regarding creativity were
  linked to textile and craft activity
  participation, of which repetitive and structured
  methods were comparable to routine activities of
  daily living
• Intellectual and kinaesthetic forms of creativity
  were identified
• References to flow included included feelings of
  control, timelessness and pleasure
• Association with playfulness was through
  problem-solving (intellectual creativity),
  spontaneity and continual reference to creativity
  
• (Dickie, 2004 Howell Pierce, 2000 Pierce,
  2001 Reynolds, 1997 2002 2004a 2004b
  Reynolds Prior, 2003)

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Justification Aims

• To independently consider the meanings of the
  concepts and components of flow and playfulness
  (creativity, curiosity and spontaneity)
• To validate the existence of subjective flow
  experiences.
• To identify self-perceived creative occupations
• To identify any relationships between play and
  flow

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The research proposal questionWhat are the
meanings of creativity, curiosity and spontaneity
during leisure activities? An investigation to
improve an understanding of playfulness and
identify a relationship to flow, towards
developing OT creative intervention
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Future Developments

• A proposed Model for Creative Intervention to
  facilitate engagement and improve client-centred
  practice

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For further information please contact

• Lesley Osbiston
• Email losbiston_at_googlemail.com

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References

• Bundy, A. C. (1993). Assessment of Play and
  Leisure Delineation of the Problem. The American
  Journal of Occupational Therapy. 47(30) 217-222.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond Boredom
  Anxiety. USA Josey-Bass Inc. Publishers.
• Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2002). Flow The classic
  work to achieve happiness. USA Harper Row.
• Dickie, V. A. (2004). From drunkards Path to
  Kansas Cyclones discovering Creativity Inside
  the Blocks. Journal of Occupational Science.
  11(2) 51-57.
• Emerson, H. (1998). Flow and Occupation A review
  of the literature. Canadian Journal of
  Occupational Therapy. 65(1) 37-45.
• Fieldhouse, J. (2003). The Impact of an Allotment
  Group on mental health Clients Health, Wellbeing
  and Social Networking. British Journal of
  Occupational Therapy. 66(7) 286-296.
• Guitard, P., Ferland, F ., Dutil, E. (2005).
  Towards a Better Understanding of Play in Adults.
  Occupational Therapy Journal of Research/
  Occupation, Participation and Health. 25(1).
  9-22.
• Keilhofner, G. (2002). Doing and becoming
  Occupational Change and Development. In
  Keilhofner, G. (ed.) A Model of Human Occupation
  Theory and application. (3rd ed.). Philadelphia.
  Lippincott, Williams Wilkins.

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• Massimini, F., Csikszentmihalyi, M., Carli, M.
  (1987). The Monitoring of Optimal Experience A
  Tool for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Journal of
  Nervous and mental Disease. 175(9) 545-59.
• Mosey, A. C. (1987). Psychosocial Components of
  Occupational Therapy. USA Raven Press.
• Persson, D. (1996). Play and Flow in an Activity
  Group A Case study of Creative Occupations with
  Chronic Pain Patients. Scandinavian Journal of
  Occupational Therapy. 3 33-42.
• Reynolds, F. (1997). Coping with chronic illness
  and disability through creative needlecraft.
  British Journal of Occupational Therapy. 60(8)
  352-356.
• Reynolds, F. (2002). Symbolic aspects of coping
  with chronic illness through textile arts. Arts
  and Psychotherapy. 29 99-106.
• Reynolds, F. (2004a). Textile Art Promoting
  Well-being in Long-term Illness Some General and
  Specific Aspects. Journal of Occupational
  Science. 11(2) 58-67.
• Reynolds, F. (2004b). Conversations about
  creativity and chronic illness II textile
  artists coping with long-term health problems
  reflect on the creative process. Creativity
  Research Journal. 16(1) 79-89.

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• Reynolds, F. Prior, S. (2003). A life-style
  coat hanger A phenomenological study of the
  meanings of artwork for women coping chronic
  illness and disability. Disability
  Rehabilitation. 25(14) 785-794.
• Schmid, T. (2004). Meanings of Creativity within
  Occupational Therapy Practice. Australian
  Occupational Therapy Journal. 51(2) 80-88.
• Vandenberg, B. Keilhofner, G. (1982). Play in
  Evolution, Culture, and Individual Adaptation
  Implications for Therapy. American Journal of
  Occupational Therapy. 36(1) 20-28.