Using chaos and complexity theory to understand the occupational being

Clinicians often get caught up in the busyness of everyday practice and forget about foundational frameworks. However, theories are essential to help us understand and predict human behavior (Levac & DeMatteo, 2009). What we do as occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) requires structure for holistic investigation to orchestrate a plan for optimal recovery.

Chaos and complexity theory, also known as dynamic systems theory, offers concepts that can help clients more deeply understand their own experiences while also “create[ing] space for the unanticipated, unexpected, and random to occur” (Bussolari & Goodell, 2009, p. 102).

Charlotte Royeen, in her 2003 Eleanor Clarke Slagle lecture, stated:

If chaos is, indeed, order disguised as disorder, the challenge to occupational therapy is to discern the pattern of occupations giving rise to varying conditions or states such as health, disease, injury, or happiness. To illustrate, just as one may need a psychologist or psychotherapist to discern psychological patterns behind behaviors of an individual, an occupational therapist may be needed to discern occupational patterns characterizing the person’s unique manifestation of activities of daily living, leisure, work, parenting, and stress-release activities. (p. 616)

Chaos and complexity theory challenges traditional empirical models of study. It acknowledges that “an irreducible degree of randomness is a fundamental feature of nature” (Chamberlain, 1998, p. 4). In an ideal world, scientific inquiry happens in a perfectly controlled environment. However, reality is that life is “seething with spontaneous change, irregularity, disorder, and chance” (Chamberlain, 1998, p. 4).

Chaos theory embraces nonlinearity, unpredictability, and interconnectedness. Systems are dynamic and constantly evolving with both intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing how we engage in occupation, interact with others in various contexts, and adapt to life.

Humans are one component of a complex, multidimensional, ever-changing system where “everything depends on everything else” (Rickles et al., 2007, p. 935). Chaos theory offers a holistic understanding of the intricate occupational being, appreciates human individuality, and accounts for the dynamic changes that occur in life.