1. 1. Occupations that make up my occupational identity Component 1 Part 2 Meg Sutton
2. 2. Daughter Being a daughter has been a huge part of my life and has majorly helped to shape my occupational identity. My parents have been there right from the beginning and have taught me a lot of the skills I know now. They have helped to shape my routines, roles, and values in life. They have also taught me many lessons throughout my life that have contributed to building my sense of self. They have helped me be; by helping me build my identity and giving me roles, they have helped me become throughout the growth and changes I have experienced in my life. Through all of this I feel a sense of belonging and connectedness to them.
3. 3. FriendMy role as a friend has also been a major contributor in the building of my identity. Through spending time with my friends I have discovered more about who I am as a person, my likes and dislikes and also my personality. I am lucky to have great friends with great values and who will always be there for each other no matter what. I definitely feel a sense of belonging when with my close friends as I can be myself around them and they love me anyway.
4. 4. Social netballSocial netball has been one of the most recent contributors to the building of my identity. My flat of 5 girls play social netball with the flat next door to us in which 5 boys live. I really enjoying playing social netball with our neighbours as we spend a lot of time together and we are like a family now. They have taught me to be yourself and that if you can have a good laugh everything will be ok.
5. 5. Employee: Countdown & Pareora Freezing Works. big contributor to my identity as it taught me to be independent, responsible and it also taught me how to manage money as well as improving my people skills. Working at the freezing works was an even bigger contributor to building my identity as I was completely out of my comfort zone when I first started working there. It was my first full time job and it taught me time management skills as well as increasing my work ethic and also not to judge people on their appearance. I worked at countdown supermarket part time for three and a half years while I was at school. Working was a
6. 6. Gym University of Otago. (n.d.). Unipol recreation centre. Retrieved from https://uoalumni.otago.ac.nz/content/unipol-recreation-centre Going to the gym is an activity that has contributed to building my identity since I moved down to Dunedin in 2013 to study. It has been incorporated into my weekly routines and has helped me to become fitter and stronger. It has taught me a lot about my personal motivation as well as setting achievable goals for myself.
7. 7. StudentI have experienced the role of being a student for the majority of my life; from kindergarten, to primary school, to high school and now to tertiary study in Dunedin. Learning lessons and skills from my teachers and interacting with my peers has been a large contributor to the person I am today. I also changed primary schools 4 times which I believe increased the skills and knowledge I now have around meeting new people as well as interacting with many different types of people. I really valued some of my teachers, especially through high school as even though I was doing well, they always saw potential in me and pushed me to be the best I could be. I believe this skill will help me as an occupational therapist as I have experienced first hand that there is always that extra 10% you can go that you didnt think you could.
8. 8. Flat mate My role as a flat mate only begun last year but it has taught me a lot about who I am as well as the type of friend I am. This year I have had a very close relationship with all of my flat mates, they are great friends and we are always looking out for each other. Being a flat mate has taught me some different skills such as how to be dependent on people who arent your family. For example, we all cook dinner and do the dishes one night a week. Therefore I am dependent on them for a meal 4 nights a week. They have taught me that people other than your family can feel and act like your family, even though it may be in a different way. Being a flat mate is a role that I have really enjoyed, it has been so much fun and has also expanded on some of my skills such cooking, cleaning and being considerate of everyone.
9. 9. Nature walking Getting out into the outdoors and exploring is an activity I really love and wish I could do more of. This is currently only a small part of my occupational identity yet I believe it will become a much larger contributor as I plan to travel around the world after my study has finished. Some of the nature walking I have done, I have completed independently and as I am a very social person, it has taught me how to enjoy my own company and discover more about who I am.
10. 10. SisterI have been a sister my whole life and although we have had our ups and downs, I am very close with my brother now. Being a sister has contributed to my occupational identity as it has taught me patience, compromising as well as accepting that you are not always right. My brother and I have spent a lot of time together and even though our lives are going in complete different directions we still keep in touch as much as possible. My brother has taught me many lessons that have helped me become the person I am today. I feel a sense of belonging when with my brother because we are family and that will never change.
11. 11. Pet ownerThere have been pets in my family my whole life. When I was young, I lived on a farm where we had sheep (and therefore lambs), cows, dogs, cats and goldfish. I have been a pet lover from a young age, beginning from my cat Darby that we had on the farm as well as the farm dogs dad used to own and all of the pet lambs we would look after in the spring time. Since leaving the farm I have always had cats and dogs and my parents taught me how to look after them. One of my jobs when I was at primary school was to feed our goldfish everyday. This was a job that taught me responsibility, as well as consequences if the job was not completed or forgotten about. Most recently we have added our golden retriever Libby to our family who is now 3 years old. Being a pet owner has contributed to my identity as it has taught me to be kind as well as to look after animals who dont have a voice to tell you what they want.