Journal of Leisure Concepts - Essay Example

Journal of Leisure Concepts Week 1 Topic: What is Leisure? The lecture this week focused on our understanding of what the term ‘leisure’ meant to different individuals and what purpose it served in our lives. The question given to us for our perusal was – “What is Leisure”? Leisure is a very broad term and as such means different things to different people. The topic seemed to be very interesting and I soon became intrigued about the various aspects of leisure and was curious to know the extent to which it impacted on our daily lives. Leisure is usually defined or explained as the antithesis of work and according to analysts both leisure and work share an interconnected relationship with each other. Leisure, on a broad perspective simply means enjoying our free time away from work and indulging in activities that not only engages our interests, but makes it enjoyable. Leisure could be in the form of entertainment, sport, tourism, gaming, pursuing a hobby, recreation or just relaxation. It was rather confusing to find that ‘leisure’ had so many definitions and it was almost impossible to pick out its exact meaning. However, according to (Murray, 2008) leisure is made up of three very important components to help us understand it better. First and foremost, leisure supplies us with a freedom of choice where we are in a position to choose what we like to do without the hassle of having to feel obligated to do so. Secondly, it is highly motivating because there is absolutely no compulsion what-so-ever and thirdly, it brings us immense satisfaction and enjoyment which keeps us relaxed and happy. Out of the three components, the enjoyment component is considered to be the most important because it is the part of enjoyment that makes us happy and does not put the pressure of work. In Jeremy Bentham’s (1748 - 1832) approach titled the “Calculus of Pleasure and Pain” he sheds light on the work- leisure relationship and says that this is how we know it today. The author recognizes that both these components are inter-related and as such have a direct impact on each other. According to him, the nature of work, does affect the job aspect of a person. However, according to me leisure is something I do of my own free will and it is something that I gain great pleasure and relaxation from. It could be just hanging out with my buddies, reading a book, indulging in some entertainment or just chilling out doing what I like. The end result of such leisurely activity gives me a lot of relaxation and fills me with a sense of purpose to face work in a more relaxed manner. I also find that by relaxing myself, I am able to perform on the job in a much better manner. Week 2 Topic: The Historical Development of Leisure This week’s lecture examines the aspect of the historical development of leisure and how it developed through our modern western society. We were arranged in groups and carried out our discussions. This fairly interesting topic shed light on how the idea of leisure was reflected in ancient societies and how it developed and improved over time. The concept of leisure dates way back into the ancient Hunter- gatherer societies where, besides hunting and gathering their resources, they indulged in gossiping, singing, dancing and making merry. The hunter- gatherer society lived in bands of 20 to 30 people where gender roles were clearly laid out. Predominantly, the males were the hunters and the females were gatherers and also looked after the needs of the family. As people became more civilized they began domesticating animals and growing crops for sustenance. The growth in civilization gradually led to class distinctions and slavery. However, during and after the Industrial Revolution, leisure took on a whole new dimension as work and leisure became more distinctly demarcated. Trade Unions helped to improve working conditions and lessened the hours of work giving people more time for leisure. According to (Cunningham, 1980) “There is nothing in the leisure of today which was not visible in the 1880’s”. Leisure time saw people going to markets and fairs, football games, bowling clubs, pubs, drama clubs and other such friendly societies. Modern society has witnessed a huge boom in leisure soon after the Technological Revolution. According to (Lowerson., J & Mysercough., J., 1977) leisure had progressed towards ‘participants and spectators alike’ and has changed our attitudes towards the concept of leisure. Nowadays, leisure has taken on a new avatar and there is no dearth to the extent of leisure activities available to us. In my opinion, we seemed to have become slaves of leisure, because while we try to keep up with a high standard of living and work more to do so, our creative and social instincts are pushed towards the background of our lives and our attitude towards leisure seems to be the actual thief. Week 3 Topic: The benefits and disbenefits of Leisure Our week’s discussion was based on the benefits of leisure and otherwise and how it could be a double – edged sword if not used responsibly. While on one hand we have the famous saying – “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, on the other hand we have to keep track of how much leisure is actually necessary for us. This topic was particularly intriguing because sometimes we have too much of it and it serves to invite other vices. On broader terms, leisure can be divided into five important categories which make it much easier to understand. These areas include – 1) Physical, 2) Social, 3) Economic, 4) Psychological and 5) Spiritual. The physical aspect of leisure enables us to work out and keep in shape. It also improves our health and this reflects in the work we do. From the economic point of view, leisure tends to increase our working ability and this not only benefits us economically, but it also serves to impact on the national economy in a more wider sense. According to (Zukerman, 1983, p. 10) there is a constant need for “complex sensations and the willingness to take physical and social risks for the sake of such experiences.” The psychological benefits are many and do have a direct impact on our physical and social well being and acts as a huge reinforcement to the body by keeping it physically and mentally within our control. Spirituality also plays a very major role where leisure activities are concerned because it serves to build our spirit, fill us with confidence and fill us with a good sense of purpose in our lives. Activities such as meditation and yoga help to distress our lives and makes life more meaningful to us. According to Heintzman, P., & Mannell, R. (2003) it is spiritual wellbeing that enables us to combat the stressors in our life. This particular lecture reading made me realize that in order to enjoy the benefits of leisure, we need to be economically sufficient and enjoy leisure in a responsible manner. I reflected on the leisure activities I take part in and soon realized how useful and important it is to have them in my life. By reading about the benefits we get from leisure, I now see leisure from a whole new perspective. Week 4 Self Esteem, Stress and Leisure Our lecture this week focused on how to reduce stress in our lives and thereby improve our self esteem and confidence. Self esteem is a very important component that helps us feel happy and good about ourselves. Feeling good about one’s self directly has a positive impact on the all round well being of a person. On the other hand, not feeling good about one’s self only leads to a negative impact on the individual. Self esteem comprises of two important components – one is the way we view ourselves and the other is the manner in which others view us. We can view ourselves in three different ways – 1) The Attainable self comprises of the realistic goals of achievement and how we change ourselves as we progress or improve. 2) The Ideal Self – comprises of unrealistic goals that are unattainable and therefore gives us a wrong vision of ourselves. 3) The Ought- self- comprising of a self that we assume others like us to be. Following this is the Undesired self that comprises of all that we do not want to be. Leisure plays a major role in reducing stress and increasing our sense of well being. Leisure activities that occur in groups help to give individuals a sense of belonging and commaradeire and enable the person to feel the importance given to them. It also builds up self confidence by making the person get the feeling that something good has been accomplished. Leisure also helps to reduce the stress in our daily lives thereby making us more productive and confident about ourselves. Stress is a negative factor that has a poor impact on our self esteem and it is this lack of self esteem is what makes us feel out of control and gives us a low ebb in our lives. According to (Weiten & Lloyd, 1997) “Self esteem is one’s global evaluation of one’s worth as a person.” In the author’s opinion, those who are impacted in a positive way in life have good self esteem and those impacted negatively will have poor self esteem. However, according to authors (Weinberg & Gould, 1995) physical exercises such as aerobics and anaerobic exercises help people to get over stressful situations in a better manner. Stress is almost part and parcel of our daily lives and it is for us to find ways and means to cope with it. For me keeping up with time and my daily dosage of work tend to stress me out a lot, but after reading up a lot of matter on how to cope with stressful situations, it has helped me find out ways to beat the stress. This chapter really got me very interested because this is the present situation I face and I am now ready to take on the challenge of beating stress out of my life. Week 5 Leisure Patterns in Australia Our discussions this week was the interesting topic of how leisure had gradually evolved and changed in Australia and how according to the changes in society, leisure has morphed from an exceedingly predominantly organized team sport to what we call unorganized sports today. Leisure patterns way back in the 70’s and 80’s was quite different than it is in these contemporary times. In the early days, leisure activities were more male oriented and comprised of boxing, cock fighting and horse racing. Since they only worked for 8 hours a day, people had a lot of leisure time to spend as they wished and soon a good number of leisure parks and sport grounds were established. Later, in the 1900’s, during and after World War I and II, leisure activities took on a much different pattern since most of the men went to war and the women had to take on the duties of the men. The Great Depression too added a setback but then sport became a way of addressing social woes and helped to give a vent to their difficult times. During the latter part of the 1900’s, and with the advancement in technology such as the invention of cars, public transport, films, electricity and the wireless, leisure activities took on a different pattern. The backyard became the primary option for leisure with people having parties, BBQ’s and inviting their friends over. Contemporary times have a more modern outlook on leisure activities these days. There is a very wide range of activities to choose from. Though a good section of people do seek entertainment such as going to the theatre for movies or drama, most people are bitten by the fitness bug and opt to involve themselves in activities that keep them fit and at the same time relaxes the body. Some of the predominant leisure activities today are - walking, aerobics, swimming, cycling, meditation, Yoga and sport. According to (Clare O’ Sullivan, et al., 2009) leisure is an important intervention also used for rehabilitation of patients. Our discussions on the changing leisure patterns in Australia, shed light on many important points which made me realize how much it has changed. Now-a- days, with so much to grab children’s attention like video gaming, Xbox and audio- visual material etc. playing out doors has become a very rare commodity. Obesity poses a big problem because children hardly play or exercise outside. I feel children should be more encouraged to take part in outdoor activities in order to maintain good health. I too have taken it up as a challenge to set aside time for regular physical activity because I know how important it is to keep healthy and build good self esteem. References Clare O’ Sullivan, & Gill Chard (2009) An Exploration of participation in Leisure activities post stroke. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal. Vol. 57, Iss. 3., pgs. 159 – 166. Cunningham (1980) The Development of Leisure in Britain. Retrieved from the web from: www.victorianweb.org/history/leisure1.html Heintzman, P., & Mannell, R. (2003). Spiritual functions of leisure and spiritual well-being: Coping with time pressure. Leisure Sciences, 25, 207–230. Jeremy Bentham (1748 - 1832) “Calculus of Pleasure and Pain”, Utilitarian Approach. Center for Natural Resources Policy Studies. George Washington University. Retrieved from the web from: www.jstor.org/stable/4223818 Lowerson, J.& Myerscough, J. Time to Spare in Victorian England. Harvester Press. 1977. Murray, (2008) Pleasure in Leisure. Retrieved from the web from: www.port-magazine.com/feature/pleasure-in-leisure-matthew-murray Weinberg, R., & Gould, D. (1995). Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. United States: Weiten, W., & Lloyd, M. (1997). Psychology Applied to Modern Life (5th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Zuckerman, (1983), Role of psychology in Leisure Studies, Dimensions of Leisure for life. Human Kinetics. p. 10. Taken from the web from: www.humankinetics.com/.../role-of-psychology-in-leisure-studies   Read More

nter- gatherer society lived in bands of 20 to 30 people where gender roles were clearly laid out. Predominantly, the males were the hunters and the females were gatherers and also looked after the needs of the family. As people became more civilized they began domesticating animals and growing crops for sustenance. The growth in civilization gradually led to class distinctions and slavery. However, during and after the Industrial Revolution, leisure took on a whole new dimension as work and leisure became more distinctly demarcated.

Trade Unions helped to improve working conditions and lessened the hours of work giving people more time for leisure. According to (Cunningham, 1980) “There is nothing in the leisure of today which was not visible in the 1880’s”. Leisure time saw people going to markets and fairs, football games, bowling clubs, pubs, drama clubs and other such friendly societies. Modern society has witnessed a huge boom in leisure soon after the Technological Revolution. According to (Lowerson., J & Mysercough., J., 1977) leisure had progressed towards ‘participants and spectators alike’ and has changed our attitudes towards the concept of leisure.

Nowadays, leisure has taken on a new avatar and there is no dearth to the extent of leisure activities available to us. In my opinion, we seemed to have become slaves of leisure, because while we try to keep up with a high standard of living and work more to do so, our creative and social instincts are pushed towards the background of our lives and our attitude towards leisure seems to be the actual thief. Week 3 Topic: The benefits and disbenefits of Leisure Our week’s discussion was based on the benefits of leisure and otherwise and how it could be a double – edged sword if not used responsibly.

While on one hand we have the famous saying – “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, on the other hand we have to keep track of how much leisure is actually necessary for us. This topic was particularly intriguing because sometimes we have too much of it and it serves to invite other vices. On broader terms, leisure can be divided into five important categories which make it much easier to understand. These areas include – 1) Physical, 2) Social, 3) Economic, 4) Psychological and 5) Spiritual.

The physical aspect of leisure enables us to work out and keep in shape. It also improves our health and this reflects in the work we do. From the economic point of view, leisure tends to increase our working ability and this not only benefits us economically, but it also serves to impact on the national economy in a more wider sense. According to (Zukerman, 1983, p. 10) there is a constant need for “complex sensations and the willingness to take physical and social risks for the sake of such experiences.

” The psychological benefits are many and do have a direct impact on our physical and social well being and acts as a huge reinforcement to the body by keeping it physically and mentally within our control. Spirituality also plays a very major role where leisure activities are concerned because it serves to build our spirit, fill us with confidence and fill us with a good sense of purpose in our lives. Activities such as meditation and yoga help to distress our lives and makes life more meaningful to us.

According to Heintzman, P., & Mannell, R. (2003) it is spiritual wellbeing that enables us to combat the stressors in our life. This particular lecture reading made me realize that in order to enjoy the benefits of leisure, we need to be economically sufficient and enjoy leisure in a responsible manner. I reflected on the leisure activities I take part in and soon realized how useful and important it is to have them in my life. By reading about the benefits we get from leisure, I now see leisure from a whole new perspective.

Week 4 Self Esteem, Stress and Leisure Our lecture this week focused on how to reduce stress in our lives and thereby improve our self esteem and confidence.

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