 As a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War, he attended seminary before studying psychology and occupational therapy at St. Louis University.Profoundy influenced by an early experience as a very young child helping his Grandmother following a severe car accident, he decided to continue study in occupational therapy at the University of Southern California (USC), where he quickly became interested in the theoretical foundations of the profession.During his time as a graduate student at USC, he worked on a theoretical model to better understand human agency and its consequences and influences from a health perspective, publishing four articles that articulated his theory.