Cultural Concepts of Leisure
Modern American culture seems to have the need for discrepancy between leisure and work more than any other culture in the world. We really forget the possibility that other meanings besides our own might exist. I would like to explore the different meanings that leisure has for people of other cultural backgrounds and compare them with those of European descent. It is important to keep in mind that there is no way of regarding any culture in which the results can be taken as truth about the culture in its entirety. Values and ideals vary from person to person and from community to community. There are, however, commonalties found spread throughout the body of a culture and these can be very meaningful.
The western concept of leisure in most cases contains some notion of the need to get away from pressures, to have time for one's self, in order to do exactly what one would be doing were they not required to work. This is one concept which has not been found in some other cultures. In fact it was quite an offensive idea to the Indo-Canadian women interviewed for the Journal of Leisure research. These women had arrived in Canada in 1903 and made themselves homes here despite difficulty posed by extreme discrimination against Asian immigrants at the time. There were ten women interviewed for this study. Although it provides a strictly female view this research provides valuable insight into the cultural perception of leisure in India. Before conducting their interviews, researchers Susan C. Tirone and Susan M. Shaw sought advice from a professor from the Indo-Canadian community, familiar with qualitative research methods. She explained that using terms like leisure, hobbies and recreation would pr...
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...ople tend to be so perplexed about wasting time and about making the most of the time when they don't have to work that they drive themselves to exhaustion in an attempt to make "good use" of their leisure time. This is because of the extent to which we differentiate between the two. The majority of us are completely absorbed in the system of consumerism; We work in order to have money, we have money in order to buy things to amuse ourselves with. We now see leisure as if it were something we must get as much as possible of in the time allotted, and we gain little or no rejuvenation and replenishment from it as a result. There is evidence everywhere of the possibility of a world in which the line between work and leisure is much much thinner and it is becoming a very critical issue and we have a lot to gain by considering the views of other cultures in this matter.
My own personal philosophy of leisure has been shaped by past and present activities I do for leisure and why I do them. To me, leisure is the sense of being free from external stressors that I face in my life such as school or work. The positive outcomes from partaking in leisure are generally overlooked and often underestimated. Leisure affects our emotions, our physical and mental health, and aids in the creation of relationships. In my own personal life, I have done and still participate in leisure as a way to sooth myself or unwind from the stress of school or work. The release of pent up emotions and energy for individuals helps their relationships with others and their overall health as well. When stress is released, an individual is
Marks, L. (2006). The Loss of Leisure in a Culture of Overwork. Spirit of Change Magazine.
If was given the opportunity to be hired as a TR specialist the most suitable work sight that is the best fit for me would be a Long Term Care centre. With clients that are of the age of retirement are not able to take of themselves or suffered a major disability that warrants them to be under the care of a health care professional, the most logical way for TR specialist to provide effective therapy in the field of TR is through the uses of the Leisure Ability Model. This model is based on the concept of internal locus of control, in intrinsic motivation, personal causality, freedom of choice and flow through the use of three service components: treatment, leisure education and recreation participation. When using this model it is imperative
Evidence suggests that families often enjoyed everyday leisure but in reality working class social life was divided by gender. Married women’s leisure tended to be separate from the public domain and was not very different from work, but was linked with domestic duties and family relations. It was during this period that to survive families had to send their sons and daughters into the labor force to supplement the earnings of the father, while the mother cooked, cleaned, cared for the children and manufactured goods in the home. The typical wage-earning woman of 1900 was young and single.
“In the last twenty years the amount of time Americans have spent at their jobs has risen steadily. Each year the change is small, amounting to about nine hours, or slightly more than one additional day of work (Schor, 1). Juliet B. Schor’s The Overworked American: The Unexpected Decline of Leisure explores the decline of leisure time in American professionals and laborers as a result of an increase in working time. In comparison to our European counterparts, American workers are now working close to 320 more hours yearly. Schor highlights the fact that American workers are choosing to work multiple jobs contributing to less leisure time due to longer working hours. In conclusion the book depicts the idea that the materialistic nature of Americans results in them choosing to work more so that they can spend more.
Many individuals would define leisure as time free from paid work, domestic responsibilities, and just about anything that one would not do as part of their daily routine. Time for leisure and time for work are both two separate spheres. The activities which people choose to do on their spare time benefit their own personal interests as well as their satisfactions. While some people may enjoy one activity, others pay not. Leisure is all about personal interests and what people constitute having a good time is all about. Some may say that the process of working class leisure can be seen to contribute their own subordination as well as the reproduction of capitalist class relations. Self-produced patterns of working class leisure can lead to resistance to such reproduction. This leads to social class relations and inequalities, and the fact that it they can never be completely reproduced in the leisure sphere. This film Home Feeling: Struggle for a Community, gives some examples of the role of leisure within a capitalist society dealing with issues such as class inequalities, and how they are different among various societies.
The purpose of therapeutic recreation is to enable all individuals to achieve quality of life and optimal health through meaningful experiences in recreation and leisure. In this paper the definition of therapeutic recreation will be discussed as well as what should be included in the definition and what should be rejected. This definition will mainly focus on health and use the Health Promotion Model to further explain my choice to focus on health and well-being. I will also be discussing the importance of inclusion in therapeutic recreation for different learning styles in many environments, and the significance of diversity in the community and what we hope to achieve by being fully inclusive.
Lefebvre, Henri. "Work and Leisure in Everyday Life." Everyday Life Reader. Ed. Ben Highmore. Great Britain: Routledge, 2002. 225-36.
...or and the way they dress up. From this it concludes that the media and online gaming can create and reinforce gendered behaviors. Those video games affect the child identity and their perception of others.
The problem of modern leisure has, throughout the years, been a well-discussed topic among many sociologists. Sociability, in this case, is one of the most universal forms of leisure that will be discussed in this essay. The theoretical framework for this discussion is provided by the sociological insights of Georg Simmel (1858-1918) as he argues that the “tumult of the metropolis” (cited in Frisby 1989, p80) creates inner barriers between people and suggests that “sociability” can surpass this problem. According to Frisby (1989), Simmel states that the city life has transformed the struggle with nature for livelihood into a struggle with other human beings for gain. This is further discussed as Frisby (1989) and Giulianotti (2005) describes how sociability can transcend this problem according to Simmel’s sociability theory.
3. “Video Games” by Chris Jozefowics. Published by Gareth Stevens Publishing 2010. Pleasantville, NY 10570-70000 USA. Produced by Editorials Directions Inc.
The central distinctions between the different types of leisure activities Active - this is when an activity is more demanding (for example playing a sport walking) Passive - this is when an activity undertaken is not a physical activity (for example reading, listening to music) Home based leisure is when a leisure activity is undertaken at home and non home-based leisure is when an activity involves leaving the home e.g. going to the cinema. The development of the leisure and recreation industry = == ==
The study of leisure and recreation exist to improve the quality of people’s lives. Leisure is a key part of our lives. When we involve ourselves in leisure activities that satisfies us. We improve in creativity and self-control through these activities. We also get the sense of freedom, achievement and confidence. Leisure gives us the opportunity to enjoy new experiences and develop new skills. In the field of study of leisure and recreation, it focuses on the variety of recreational activities. Those activities that are involved in leisure tend to be rewarding to one’s health and the community. Leisure activities are chosen by every individual, the activities can be done where people feel more comfortable with people you enjoy surrounding
Recreation and Leisure activities are in a high critical dimension of quality of life for everyone, including people with developmental disabilities. Sadly, many of those who are disabled are still limited to segregated recreation and leisure choices for any reason or another. Some people will confine themselves to opportunities which include trying a new variety of activities in different settings with different people; here some of the factors that can be affecting: Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Racial and Ethnic identity, and Socioeconomic status.
A leisure activity is any activity chosen for pleasure, relaxation, or other emotional satisfaction, typically something one would participate in during free time. The leisure activity I have chosen to partake in is knitting. My great-grandmother was an excellent knitter and would make my whole family scarves and dishcloths when she was alive. She would give them out as Christmas presents, so I want to carry on her tradition. Knitting is a relaxing and simple task, so it is a great way for me to occupy my spare time and escape the stresses of work and school.