Occupational therapy

Taking fun seriously

A playful spirit helps adults handle embarrassing situations and confront difficulties with an open mind, making it easier to find original solutions to problems, confront difficulties and accept failure.

These are the findings of occupational therapist Paulette Guitard, based on her doctoral research at Université de Montréal’s School of Rehabilitation. During her study, she met various people who like to laugh and make others laugh, including a professional clown, comic strip writer, stand-up comedy writer and a psychologist specializing in pleasure. The results revealed that playfulness among adults is characterized by creativity, curiosity, pleasure, humour and spontaneity. “This attitude extends to all realms of their lives and has an impact on how adults perceive situations and analyze problems,” explains Prof. Guitard.

Prof. Guitard has worked in pediatrics, physical rehabilitation and mental health and finds it sad that despite the various comedy festivals, few adults allow themselves to have fun in their day-to-day lives. “Children are much more spontaneous, while adults learn to be polite and reserved,” states the occupational therapist. For Guitard, a mother of three who is now a professor at the University of Ottawa, it would be in our best interest to better develop our sense of humour and spontaneity. “The study suggests that a playful spirit is better for your health and well-being.” The researcher’s meetings with her study subjects helped to shed light on the various components of playfulness.

Prof. Guitard’s work is based on a model developed by her research director, Francine Ferland. The model focuses on the therapeutic potential of playing and seeks to develop a child’s capacity to act and discover the pleasure of certain actions. “Through playing, children acquire knowledge of the world around them, a positive attitude about action and skills in various spheres,” explains Ms Ferland.

Paulette Guitard’s study seeks to demonstrate that Prof. Ferland’s approach can be applied not only to children with intellectual handicaps but also to adults with chronic disabilities. She is one of just a handful of researchers who have looked at playfulness in adults. This research may be useful for occupational therapists and clinicians who work with adults with physical or mental disabilities. Prof. Guitard’s approach is inspired by the major principles of a method developed for disabled children (Le modèle ludique, Presses de l’Université de Montréal, 1998). Her study was recently published in The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research.