In “Motivational Foundations of Leisure” by Seppo E. Iso-Ahola and “Pathways to That means-Making By Leisure-Like Pursuits in World Contexts” by Yoshitaka Iwasaki, each authors are grappling with distinguishing leisure from different features of human life. To this finish, they’re making an attempt to explain the fundamental traits that establish one thing as leisure versus one thing not being leisure. Nonetheless, the large downside for each of them is the elusive definition of “what’s leisure,” since it’s tough to explain its traits if it onerous to tell apart leisure from what isn’t leisure. This downside is made much more tough in fashionable society, in that there’s something of a continuum between leisure and non-leisure, with many actions seeming like a mixture of the 2.
For instance, a part-time entrepreneur who units up a party-plan enterprise is participating in an financial exercise, however it’s also enjoyable for her (often the entrepreneur is a girl), and she or he would possibly see organizing gross sales events as a aspect enterprise to one thing she considers work. So perhaps this enterprise begins out as a leisure exercise, however as she makes increasingly cash, she could spend increasingly time placing on events to construct a severe enterprise. Thus, sooner or later, holding these enjoyable events could stop to be a leisure exercise – however precisely when this happens might be onerous to inform.
This identical downside of distinguishing leisure and not-leisure confronts each Iso-Ahola and Iwasaki in making an attempt to debate the traits of leisure, in that many of those traits they use to explain leisure might be true of non-leisure actions, generally thought of work. Iwasaki tries to get round this downside by calling issues that he characterizes as features of leisure as “leisure-like” actions, and by the identical token, one would possibly character what folks usually name work as “work-like” actions, however that is actually extra of a semantic sleight of hand. Calling one thing “leisure-like” — or “work-like” for that matter — merely offers a nomenclature that’s fuzzier to establish part of human life that’s onerous to outline. In different phrases, utilizing a fuzzy time period to outline what is taken into account an elusive hard-to-define high quality merely factors up the fuzziness, however it doesn’t assist to make clear the fundamental traits of what’s leisure as in comparison with different features of human life.
For instance, within the “Motivational Foundations of Leisure,” Iso-Ahola seeks to search out a proof for what’s leisure within the “primary innate (psychological) wants which can be the principle energizers of human development and potential.” From his perspective, this want which everyone seems to be born with each defines what folks contemplate leisure and directs them to be concerned below varied circumstances to fulfill these wants. Given this driving want for leisure, then, Iso-Ahola means that having a way of freedom or autonomy is “the central defining attribute of leisure”. Nonetheless, he distinguishes this sense of freedom from the on a regular basis characterization of leisure as “free time”, which individuals use for describing the time when they aren’t working, since solely a few of this free time could actually be free from any obligations so somebody can do precisely what they wish to do.
For example, if somebody performs chores throughout this free time interval, this time wouldn’t be actually free, though Iso-Ahola means that the extra an individual thinks of his work as an obligation, the extra free that particular person would really feel when he’s engaged in nonwork actions, and due to this fact that exercise would possibly actually be thought of leisure.
From this angle, then, if an individual actually enjoys their work and participates in quite a lot of actions that contribute to success at work, although these actions would possibly in any other case be thought of leisure for somebody who engages in these actions for causes that don’t have anything to do with their job, these actions would possibly now not be thought of leisure. An instance of that is the salesperson or CEO for a corporation that performs golf with different potential clients. On the one hand, golf is often thought to be a leisure-time leisure exercise. But it surely has turn into a part of the salesperson’s or CEO’s work, although the salesperson or CEO could freely select to play golf or not, or have interaction in an alternate type of leisure with potential shoppers, reminiscent of taking them to a present or ballgame. If that particular person performs golf, goes to a present, or is a spectator at a ball recreation with members of his household and no work buddies are current, that is likely to be extra correctly characterised as leisure. However in lots of circumstances, the salesperson/CEO would possibly take the household alongside on a {golfing}, present, or ballgame tour together with his work buddies, thereby muddying the conception of leisure. Underneath the circumstances, utilizing a continuum from non-leisure to leisure actions is likely to be a great way to characterize several types of leisure, quite than making an attempt to make a distinction between what’s leisure and what’s not-leisure.
In any occasion, constructing on this notion that freedom is a primary attribute of leisure, Iso-Ahola means that leisure exercise is characterised by habits that’s self-determined, or which can begin off as decided, however can turn into self-determined by the method of “internalization” Due to this fact, to the extent that folks carry out on a regular basis actions as a result of they wish to accomplish that, they make them leisure-like. An instance is likely to be if I hate gardening (which I actually do), however I begin doing it as a result of I am unable to afford to rent a gardener, and finally I begin to really feel pleasure in it, which might flip it right into a leisure exercise. (However since I can rent a gardener, I’ve no compelling motive to do that, so for now that is undoubtedly not a leisure-time exercise for me).
Then, too, in accordance with Iso-Ahola, leisure is likely to be characterised by escaping, which might contribute to internalizing an exercise, which makes it much more a type of leisure.
Iso-Ahola brings collectively all of those concepts right into a pyramid by which the better one’s intrinsic motivation and sense of self-determination, the extra one is participating in true leisure exterior of the work context. On the underside is compulsory nonwork exercise participation, reminiscent of chores one has to carry out in the home. On the following stage above this, he distinguishes free-time exercise participation in TV and train, which he feels are often not true leisure, since persons are not actually autonomous in taking part in both exercise. He claims folks lack autonomy in watching TV, as a result of they do not actually wish to do that and it does not make them be ok with themselves (although this opinion of TV is questionable), and within the case of train, he claims that they really feel they need to do that as a result of it is good for them, quite than as a result of they wish to. Lastly, on the high of the pyramid is full leisure participation, the place one feels full autonomy and freedom, so one positive aspects intrinsic rewards, a sense of circulate, and social interplay with others.
Lastly, to briefly cite Iwasaki’s strategy to characterizing leisure, he seeks to explain leisure as a means of producing sure sorts of meanings, though the actual meanings could differ for folks experiencing totally different life experiences or coming from totally different cultures. In Iwasaki’s view, citing the World Leisure Affiliation’s description of leisure, significant leisure offers “alternatives for self-actualization and additional contribution to the standard of group life.” As such, leisure consists of self-determined habits, displaying competence, participating in social relationships, having a chance for self-reflection and self-affirmation, creating one’s identification, and overcoming unfavorable experiences in a single’s life. Iwasaki additionally goes on to explain the 5 key elements that are features of leisure (which he prefers to name”leisure-like” pursuits: 1) optimistic feelings and well-being, 2) optimistic identities, shallowness, and spirituality; 3) social and cultural connections and concord, 4) human strengths and resilience, and 5) studying and human improvement throughout the lifespan.