Affiliations: Department of Occupational Science and Occupational
Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Rachel Mullen, Department of
Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, 500 University Ave. room 160,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5V 1G7. Tel.: +1 416 946 7130; Fax: +1 416 946 7102; E-mail: rachmullen@gmail.com
Abstract: Active participation in daily occupations is a vital part of
everyday life, social participation and healthy life long human development;
however, enablers of active participation are not well understood. Passion, a
strong tendency towards an activity that a person finds meaningful and spends a
lot of time doing, is a potential enabler. Accordingly, it is important to
understand how an individual's passion for a specific occupation plays out
across the occupational life course. Objective: To explore the experience
of passion across the life course of older adults involved in the performing
arts. Participants: Seven older adults involved in, or retired from, the
performing arts, who consider themselves passionate about their occupation. Methods: A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to explore,
through interviews with older adults, passion for performing arts across the
life course. Results: Emerging themes supported development of an initial
theoretical framework explicating active participation and passion. It centers
on passion as an enabler of occupational participation through different modes,
and suggests barriers to that enablement process. Conclusions: Findings suggest that passion has an important role in continued active participation in
an occupation; however, barriers, such as social and financial, can derail the
pursuit of a passionate occupation.
Keywords: Life course, older adults, theatre, dance, drama
