Historical research: The first decade of occupational therapy in Israel: 1946–1956

The present study examined the first decade of the development of occupational therapy in Israel: 1946–1956. The structural‐functional approach to the study of professions, which provided the theoretical framework for this study, identifies three formal organisations in the professions: the practice, the educational system, and the association. The purpose of this article was to follow the development of occupational therapy and to examine the interrelations of the profession's three formal organisations in the reviewed period. The methodology of the study was based on qualitative historical methods. Data collection included oral histories, and published and unpublished written material. Data organisation and analysis were within the framework of the structural‐functional approach. Data analysis indicated that ‘expansion’ was a major theme affecting the development of occupational therapy, the reason for which lies within the historical background of the period under investigation. In addition, data indicated that the practice was the strongest and most active organisation in occupational therapy and that expansion in practice was beyond the capacity of both the educational system and the professional association. The interrelations of the three formal organisations, and the rapid expansion of occupational therapy practice, had a lasting effect on the development of occupational therapy in Israel.