The relationship of macro and micro processes in Merleau-Ponty: A response to Cutchin

Cutchin’s commentary on Bailliard, Carroll, and Dallman (2018) posed the question “how can/should the micro and macro be related so that they are viewed as part of the same processes of occupation and life?” (p. 238). This response engages Cutchin’s question by focusing on aspects of Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy which enfold micro and macro processes into everyday action. Through his concepts of reversibility, écart, and coupling, Merleau-Ponty portrays micro and macro processes as co-constitutive and mutually transformative such that they encroach upon each other and cannot be understood separately. We believe Merleau-Ponty offers valuable insight into how these relationships function at all levels of occupational participation.