Blog Four: Affordances

Here I will look at my activity- cutting gorse and assess how the environment impacts upon and changes my interaction with it. Christiansen & Baum (1997) break affordence down to the following concepts:

·         Anything the environment offers which will either challenge or facilitate the persons role within.

·         Aspects of the environment as perceived by the person including notions of “effectancies” toward competency.

Thus connection of the human (me) to the work (cutting gorse) with the environment represents affordance Past experience guides me on what tools are necessary, techniques/ next moves that I should do. Let me explain:

·         I have two whole in the gorse work-sites which create limitations for the next move. I am having difficulty in disposing of the trimmings. The only way I can manage the tight environment is to create piles for wood and the broken down follage branches.

·         The resources (wood harvested ) are saved as it is a hot burning fuel for winter warmth.

·         The fire risk that gorse possesses needs also be mentioned and my occupation allows another affordance of a fire wall to my property.

The work environment at the moment is rather inhospitable to all bar our cats who have set tracks through the brambles to their secret haunts. When I’m in there the chainsaw will scare all wildlife off with its noise. I protect my hearing by using ear muffs, so minimal communication affordances exist.

I have noticed an increase of bird activity within the area, as they can now fly from tree-to-tree and feed, which suggests that there are elements of sharing the activity and gifting a more hospitable environment to the natural fauna, wildlife, humans, and our friends.

The moral affordence has been discussed at length under ethics. Further to this my occupation and protecting role are represented by the interdependence of me the person and the environment. Thus to understand affordance is to recognise that ones behaviour can only be understood on terms of the environment.

Christiansen, C., & Baum, C. (Eds.). (1997). Occupational therapy: Enabling function and well being (2nd ed.). New Jersey, USA: Slack Incorporated.