Abstract:
This paper introduces the Theory of Relational Occupation Dynamics (ROD), a novel conceptual framework for occupational science designed to address a critical gap in existing models: the analysis of occupations that are irreducibly dyadic. Foundational theories, while robust in explaining individual occupational performance within an environmental context, tend to conceptualize social partners as external influences rather than as co-constitutive agents of the occupation itself. ROD posits the existence of a distinct class of “Relational Occupations,” defined as forms of human doing whose meaning, performance, and outcomes are emergent properties of a self-organizing system formed by the reciprocal interaction of two individuals. The theory is grounded in a comprehensive neurobiological architecture, elucidating how mechanisms such as the mirror neuron system facilitate shared understanding and how synaptic plasticity inscribes a “dyadic habitus” through repeated interaction. Drawing upon principles from Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) and Complex Systems Theory, ROD frames the dyad as the primary unit of analysis. To articulate the dynamics of this unit, the theory employs metaphors from theoretical physics and sociology, conceptualizing the dyad as an “occupational field” of relational forces and introducing “occupational entanglement” as a descriptor for peak states of interpersonal synchrony. This paper concludes by exploring the profound implications of ROD for occupational therapy practice—advocating a shift from individual-centric to dyad-centric intervention—and outlines future research directions, including the use of neuroimaging techniques like hyperscanning to empirically validate the model’s core tenets.
Yıldırım, E. (2025). The Theory of Relational Occupation Dynamics (ROD): A Neurobiological Field Model of Dyadic Engagement. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17055230
Leave a Reply