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C H A P T E R
2
Leisure Through a
Social Science Lens
Erik Rabinowitz and J. Joy James
Chapter 2
Learning Outcomes
• Define social science.
• Define how social science helps us
understand leisure and leisure behaviors.
• Discuss leisure from a psychological,
sociological, anthropological, and
geographical perspective and give examples
of how each helps us better understand
human leisure behaviors.
All Work and No Play . . .
U.S. trends over the past 80 years have shown
that generally we are not more likely to get
on the hamster wheel.
What happens when your life becomes all work and no play?
Leisure Time
• Our work hours have decreased; conversely, leisure
time has increased.
• At the beginning of the 20th century a work week
averaged 50 to 60 hours.
• Since that time the standard work week has declined
to 35 to 40 hours.
• Time for other activities has increased: Leisure time
has increased from 53 hours to 70 hours.
Social Sciences
• The social sciences are about people: how they act
individually and in a group. They encompass these
disciplines:
– Psychology
– Sociology
– Economics
– Anthropology
– Geography
• All of these disciplines can provide insight into
leisure behaviors.
Social Science Perspectives
Understanding the paradigm of the researcher:
• For positivists, the goal of knowledge is simply to
describe the phenomena that we experience and to
stick to what we can observe and measure.
• Postpositivists recognize that the way scientists
think and work and the way we think in our everyday
lives are not distinctly different, but not every
experience is measurable.
(continued)
Social Science Perspectives
(continued)
• Interpretivists believe that cultures can be
understood by studying people’s ideas and
the meanings that are important to the
people.
• Postmodernists believe there is really no
answer to the question, only various points
of view.
Perspectives Determine How
Research Is Conducted
• Ontology: Is truth universal, or are there
multiple realities?
• Epistemology is the actual belief on how to
get information or how the blind man
believes the puzzle should be put together.
• Methodology involves the procedures and
techniques used in collecting information
that pieces the puzzle together.
Psychology
• The study of individual human behavior; it
can offer an explanation about why a person
participates in a recreational activity.
• Leisure is a time for building purpose in our
lives, is individual, and should have
beneficial results.
That nervous feeling you get right before participating in a challenging
activity is a sign that your body’s autonomic nervous system is
gearing up. This is an example of a psychological principle you
unconsciously use on yourself.
Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking
• The need for varied, novel, and complex sensations
and the willingness to take physical and social risks
for the sake of such experiences
• Subcomponents:
– Thrill and adventure seeking: willingness to take physical risks
and participate in high-risk sports
– Experience seeking: need for new and exciting experiences
(continued)
Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking
(continued)
• More subcomponents:
– Disinhibition: willingness to take social risks and
engage in health risk behaviors (e.g., binge drinking
or unprotected sex)
– Boredom susceptibility: intolerance for monotony
and repetitive activities
Psychological Benefits of Leisure
• Increased self-actualization, self-identity,
self-esteem, and self-concept
• Personal enjoyment and growth
• Reduction in anxiety and depression
• Spiritual improvements
• Overall psychological well-being
(continued)
Psychological Benefits of Leisure
(continued)
• Informational knowledge
• Visual learning
• Problem solving
• Creativity
• Recognition memory
Sociology
• The study of two or more human behaviors;
can provide insight into group behavior such
as race or ethnicity, social class, gender
roles, family, deviance, and crime
• Deviance involves actions or behaviors that
differ from cultural norms.
(continued)
Sociology (continued)
• Cross-cultural differences
• Communities that have more leisure
opportunities show increases in quality of
life assessments, higher community
involvement and satisfaction, and lower
crime rates.
Economics
• Examines the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services and is at the
heart of pricing recreational activities or is the
basis of tourism industry in some countries
• Two major theories:
– Microeconomics looks at how individuals, families,
organizations, and some states make decisions to spend their
money.
– Macroeconomics looks at the total economic activity (growth,
inflation, and unemployment) of national or regional economy
as a whole.
Anthropology
• The study of humankind and cultures
• Can best inform a national park or heritage
site of the culture being preserved and will
help us to understand the nature and
distribution of leisure as well as its validity
as a concept in other cultures
• Ethnography means learning from people
rather than studying people.
Geography
• Study of earth’s lands, inhabitants, features,
and other trends
• Lends itself to providing data for natural
resource and land management decisions
(continued)
Geography
(continued)
Benefits of Social Science
for Leisure and Society
• Provides information to inform policy-making
and management decisions
• Benefits communities from initiatives that
improve quality of life through technological
advances, allocation or budgetary efficiency,
and institutional change
• Provides empirical evidence to substantiate the
provision of fiscal resources, staffing, and
facilities for recreation