A Social Psychology of Leisure

Book excerpt: The social psychology of leisure has long been, and still remains, a prominent perspective for understanding the role and impact of leisure in peoples lives. It is a dynamic field influenced by researchers in leisure studies and theories and research in, among others, the fields of social, personality, developmental, and positive psychology. An early systematic effort to examine the potential of social psychology for understanding leisure was provided by John Neulinger in his 1974 book, The Psychology of Leisure: Research Approaches to the Study of Leisure. In 1980, Seppo Iso-Ahola published The Social Psychology of Leisure and Recreation, the first textbook to map out the boundaries of the field and review the social psychological theory and research available at the time. Seventeen years elapsed before the first edition of A Social Psychology of Leisure was published in 1997. The first edition was well received, used in classrooms around the world, often cited by other researchers, and translated into Japanese. Another 14 years elapsed before the second editionwith Gordon Walker being added as a co-authorwas published in 2011. It too was well received, used globally, often cited, and, in this instance, translated into Chinese. This new edition builds on these earlier efforts and incorporates major new topics of research, innovative studies, and contemporary examples. It also advances from the second edition in several important ways. First, it takes into account recent trends in psychology, such as the rise of positive psychology, evolutionary social psychology, and the social psychological treatment of culture (see Chapter 2). Second, it provides a more comprehensive overview of the diverse range of experiences that take place in leisure (see Chapter 4). Third, we have changed the focus of later chapters from benefits to outcomes, recognizing that leisure behavior may be both beneficial and harmful at times. And fourth, rather than have a separate chapter on age and gender, we have integrated material on these two topics throughout the third edition. These differences notwithstanding, we have continued with the general orientation that the social psychology of leisure is concerned with how people come to perceive time or behavior as free or discretionary, how they choose to fill and structure this discretionary time with behavior and experience, why they make these choices, and the implications of these choices for their happiness and personal growth. Important here, however, is that the social psychology of leisure recognizes that these perceptions and choices are influenced by other people and by experiences in the other domains of life such as work, family, and community. A Social Psychology of Leisure is written to serve as a textbook for undergraduate students taking a course in the psychological and social aspects of leisure and recreation. It also provides for students in graduate courses a comprehensive introduction that should be supplemented by books and journal articles focusing on specific topics. Finally, especially as it has incorporated reference to newer literature, this edition is intended to serve as a source-book for leisure researchers in providing context and even direction when conducting studies that employ a social psychological approach. Given the last, in this edition each chapter has its own reference list rather than there being a single, comprehensive list as in the past. This modification reflects a recent trend in how researchers, who are typically interested in a specific topic or area, now access and utilize scholarly information. Many years of teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in this area have provided a testing ground for much of the material and the methods of presentation that appear in this book. Consequently, we have tried to maximize the clarity and interest level of the text. Many concrete examples are used, and where appropriate, topics are introduced through the use of scenarios highlighting various types of leisure behavior for students to analyze. We also pose interesting leisure questions often found in the readers own daily life and then demonstrating how researchers have attempted to answer these same questions. By doing the above, we hope to demonstrate the relevance, excitement, and methods of social psychological leisure research. Finally, as in past editions, we discuss the potential applicability of the research reviewed. In some cases, these applications will have immediate implications for the provision of public and private leisure services in communities, tourism, park management, and private recreation businesses. However, there is another sense in which the book is applied. Not only can the information provided by a social psychology of leisure be used to more effectively plan leisure services, but also individuals, through an awareness of the social psychological dimensions of leisure, may be able to extend more control over their lives and better enjoy their own leisure. To this end, readers will constantly be asked to reflect on their own experiences and their personal observations of other people at leisure.