Final answer:
Occupational science involves studying human engagement in activities, with three major concepts being industrial psychology, organizational psychology, and human factors psychology, all contributing to understanding job characteristics, employee interactions, and optimal workplace design.
Step-by-step explanation:
Occupational science is a complex field that studies the ways in which individuals engage in various activities and how these activities contribute to their well-being, society, and economic stability. Three major concepts of this discipline can be identified as:
- Industrial Psychology: This area focuses on analyzing job characteristics, assessing candidate suitability through methods such as job analysis, applicant testing, and interviews, and understanding the legality of hiring practices to prevent discrimination.
- Organizational Psychology: It examines how interactions among employees influence job satisfaction, organizational productivity, and workplace culture. It also addresses issues like management and leadership styles, harassment, including sexual harassment, and workplace violence prevention.
- Human Factors Psychology (also known as ergonomics): This field studies the interaction between workers and their work environment, including tools and machines. The goal is to optimize productivity, safety, and health through design of these elements, enhancing worker satisfaction and effectiveness.
To effectively explore occupational areas of interest, it is crucial to build research skills, evaluate possible occupations, and set career goals. Understanding the social constructions of reality and defining roles in daily interactions are also key components of occupational science. Moreover, the concepts of alienation of workers from their jobs can be similarly applied to students in education, examining their connection or disconnection with their learning process.