This book is the first to use psychoanalysis as a basis for exploring how occupational therapists do their work, and it incorporates a new conceptual model to guide practice. The authors emphasize the role of the unconscious in all that people do and are, and argue that activities (or occupations) are simultaneously real (i.e. tangible) and symbolic. Ideal for academic and clinical occupational therapists, this book will also appeal to psychotherapists.