Lynn S. Anderson

Psychological Sense of Community and Group Cohesion on Wilderness Trips.

Aprimary purpose of many wilderness trip programs is the development of positive interpersonal relationships and group experiences that lead to enhanced sense of community among group members (Mitten, 1999). Although there is anecdotal evidence to support the development of sense of community on wilderness trips, there is little empirical evidence to support this conclusion. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the factors that contribute to or detract from wilderness trip participants’ perceived sense of community.

Flourishing Through Leisure and the Upward Spiral Theory of Lifestyle Change

This article explores the strengths approach in therapeutic recreation practice, as articulated through the Flourishing through Leisure Model: An Ecological Extension of the Leisure and Well-Being Model (Anderson & Heyne, 2012a, 2012b), and examines the Upward Spiral Theory of Lifestyle Change (Fredrickson, 2015) as an explanatory framework for why and how leisure can drive sustained positive lifestyle change. Overviews are provided of the strengths approach and the Flourishing through Leisure Model, emphasizing the central role leisure plays in strengths-based therapeutic recreation practice. The broaden-and-build theory (Fredrickson, 2013b) is explained as it is the basis for the Upward Spiral Theory of Lifestyle Change. The Upward Spiral theory is described in detail in the contexts of the neuroscience of enjoyment, passion (obsessive and harmonious), and prioritizing positivity. Practical applications of the Upward Spiral Theory of Lifestyle Change to strengths-based therapeutic recreation practice are drawn, as well as recommendations for future research.

A Qualitative Exploration of Sense of Community through Reflective Journals during Wilderness Outdoor Education Curricula

There has been repeated encouragement in the literature for researchers to examine the various mechanisms that make up group experiences in outdoor education contexts. As a result, positive sense of community is often one of the implicit or explicit goals of programs and organizations that utilize outdoor settings to deliver educational and/or therapeutic programs. The purpose of this study was to understand how participants understand and experience sense of community formation during participation on outdoor education curricula (OEC) programs. Qualitative data, in the form of 124 participant trip journals, were analyzed and revealed two core themes illuminating sense of community structure and process. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.