‘Profession’ and ‘Professionalism’ and the Emerging Profession of Occupational Therapy: Part 1

Abstract

When a profession is seeking to consolidate its achievements and further its development, it can be useful to take an objective view of professions, their roles and development. In this, the first of two articles, the author looks at professions from historical and sociological perspectives. Essential characteristics of a profession are identified together with some of the difficulties experienced by emerging professions.