What constitutes core values in occupational therapy practice?

As a group of occupational therapists committed to develoring culturally safe occurational therap)' practice in New Zealand, we wish to express our deer concerns about the American Occupational Therapy Association's ['ecenely published statement of Core Values and AI/iludes CJ( Occuparional Tberapl' Practice (AJOr, 47, December 1993, rJP 1085-1086). While applauding the Association's intene in develoring this statement, we cannot accept the values and attitudes described as rerreseneing good occupational therapy practice. Our conteneion is that these statemenrs reflect the predominantly Positivist orientation of Western society, that is, that a Single, objective reality exists that provides the context for all human experience and understanding. Contrary to this. we believe that occurational therapy must be founded on a worldview which acknowledges that there are multiple realities. This IVorldview can only be achieved by taking an ecological view, which recognizes each individual's unique historical, cultural, and social context and the ethical, moral, and spiritual elements of people's realities. Only then can we rrovide meaningful occupational therapy From a viewpoint of multiple realities, several of rhe core conceprs presented need to be reframed and hroadened. For example,ji-eedom is a concepr rhar is idealized in Wesrern societies as an unequivocal right of every individual. ]r is enacted rhrough individual choice, independence, iniriative, and self-direerion Cr. 1085). Individual freedom, however, is not a meaningful can, cern for those cultural groups in which idencity is nor individually derived bur is collectively determined through rela, tionshirs to kin, the larger socioculrural group, and ro the land itself lncleed. a focus on individualism is eschewed hy some socieries as being an imredimenr ro the common good, or attainmenr of collective goals.