Partition of occupational science and occupational therapy.

O ccupational science, as decribed by Clark et al. (1991), has emerged from occupational therapy. This emergence, referred to here as partition, has involved fashioning a discipline out of a profession. It has been a lengthy process requiring considerable thought and discussion. Because the formation of a discipline out of a profession seems to be without precedent in the scientific community, there are no historical examples to use as a gUide in sorting out the advantages and disadvantages of such a move. We do not yet know what actions are necessary to ensure the long-term well-being of both the discipline and the profession from which it emerged, Nevertheless, these issues are important and need to be examined. In this paper, I offer some initial ideas and suggestions regarding the partition of occupational science and occupational therapy.