Abstract:
This paper introduces the Theory of Semiotic Occupation (TSO) as a critical expansion of contemporary occupational science. Foundational models in occupational therapy, including the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO), the Person-Environment-Occupation (PEO) model, and the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E), are implicitly person-centric, conceptualizing occupation as an emergent property of an individual’s interaction with their environment. This perspective, while powerful, fails to adequately account for occupations that are fundamentally systemic and social. TSO addresses this conceptual gap by introducing the construct of “Zero-Individual Occupations”—pre-existing, socially constructed, rule-governed systems of doing that are independent of any single person. Using the linguistic system as the archetypal example, TSO draws upon Ferdinand de Saussure’s distinction between langue (the social system) and parole (the individual act). This framework is grounded in the neurobiology of language, particularly the dual-stream model of language processing, the function of the mirror neuron system in social learning, and the principles of neuroplasticity. By defining dysfunction as a disruption in the relationship between the individual and the semiotic system, TSO reframes conditions such as aphasia as disorders of occupational performance. This shift has profound implications for clinical reasoning, reconceptualizing occupational identity, and designing novel, system-focused interventions that target the person-occupation transaction.
Yıldırım, E. (2025). The Theory of Semiotic Occupation (TSO): A Neuro-Linguistic Framework for Zero-Individual Occupations. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17050774
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