Roger C. Mannell

Psychological nature of leisure and tourism experience

Abstract This paper examines the leisure and tourist experience from three perspectives. While leisure researchers have identified the major ingredients of subjective definitions of leisure, little research has been done on tourism from the “definitional” perspective. From the “post-hoc satisfaction” standpoint, theory and research suggest that psychological benefits of leisure and tourist experience emanate from the interplay of two motivational forces: to escape from routine and stressful environments and to seek recreational opportunities. The “immediate conscious experience” approach is committed to the value of monitoring the actual, on-site, real-time nature of the experience itself. Although scholars have analyzed the anatomy of the leisure experience, immediate conscious tourist experiences have not been subjected to scientific analysis. Thus, it is not possible to conclude when and under what conditions tourist experience becomes leisure experience.

Testing Competing Models of the Leisure Constraint Negotiation Process in a Corporate Employee Recreation Setting

Four models of leisure constraint negotiation (independence, buffer, mitigation, reduction) based on competing views of how constraint, negotiation, and motivation are interconnected and influence participation were tested using regression and structural equation modeling procedures. Full-time employees ( N = 186, X age = 36.7 years, 64.5 percent females) of four companies with similar work site recreation services completed a survey measuring participation in work site physical recreation activities, constraint on participation, negotiation resources, and motivation to participate. Strong support was found for the constraint - effects - mitigation model. Though constraints decreased the level of participation, they also triggered greater use of negotiation resources, which counteracted their negative effects. Stronger health and enjoyment motives also resulted in employees increasing negotiation efforts. The results support several of the constraint negotiation propositions developed by Jackson, Crawford, and Godbey (1993) and a theoretical model that clarifies the role of motivation and distinguishes between the negotiatory and facilitatory functions of negotiation resources.

Leisure States and “Flow” Experiences: Testing Perceived Freedom and Intrinsic Motivation Hypotheses

Csikszentmihalyis flow construct has been suggested as a useful model for describing and operationalizing leisure experiences. Data collected during the daily lives of older adults with the Experi...

Enduring involvement, situational involvement, and flow in leisure and non-leisure activities.

This research was conducted to investigate relationships between enduring involvement (EI), situational involvement (SI), and flow. It was hypothesized that the constructs would be related and that SI would mediate relationships between EI and flow. In addition, the relationships were examined in both leisure and non-leisure contexts. The sample consisted of 46 recently unemployed adults, diverse with respect to gender, age, pre-unemployment income, and education. Respondents completed a number of experiential sampling forms (ESF) as part of a larger study. Flow and SI were measured at this time. Three months later respondents completed EI scales related to 2 leisure and 2 nonleisure activities for which they had completed ESFs. Structural equation modeling suggested that in both leisure and non-leisure activities participants with higher levels of EI were more likely to experience higher levels of flow (p <.05) and that SI mediated these relationships. This study is the first to establish links between EI, SI, and flow.

Role of Self-Efficacy in the Constraints Negotiation Process: The Case of Individuals with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

This cross-sectional survey study examined the constraints negotiation process associated with participation in physically active leisure activities among individuals with fibromyalgia. A measure of negotiation-efficacy was developed. Four models were hypothesized, tested, and compared. The results were consistent with a model in which constraints decreased participation but also triggered the use of negotiation strategies that in turn increased participation. Higher levels of motivation increased efforts to negotiate and participate. Consistent with the main hypothesis, higher levels of negotiation-efficacy increased both motivation and negotiation efforts. A seventh proposition for constraints negotiation theory is proposed: The greater peoples confidence in the successful use of negotiation resources to cope with constraints, the greater the motivation and effort to negotiate and the higher the level of participation.

Spiritual Functions of Leisure and Spiritual Well-Being: Coping with Time Pressure

The purpose of this study was to develop a model of leisure style and spiritual well-being relationships, and the processes (spiritual functions of leisure) by which leisure can influence spiritual well-being. Also, the role of leisure in ameliorating the effects of time pressure on spiritual well-being was examined. Structural equation modeling using AMOS was employed to test direct and indirect effects models of the relationships among components of leisure style (leisure activity participation, leisure motivation, and leisure time), spiritual functions of leisure (sacrilization, repression avoidance, sense of place) and spiritual well-being (both behavioral and subjective). The model developed suggests that some components of peoples leisure styles lead to certain behaviors and experiences (spiritual functions of leisure) that maintain or enhance spiritual well-being. These spiritual functions of leisure may also serve as coping strategies to ameliorate the negative influence of time pressure on spiritual well-being.

Contributions of Leisure Participation in Predicting Stress Coping and Health among Police and Emergency Response Services Workers

This study examined the extent to which frequency and enjoyment measures of leisure participation predict adaptational outcomes, over and above the contributions of general coping. Police and emergency response services workers (N = 132) participated in the study, and a repeated measures design was used. The study provides evidence that the type of leisure activity matters in predicting immediate adaptational outcomes (coping effectiveness, coping satisfaction and stress reduction) and mental and physical health. Relaxing leisure was found to be the strongest positive predictor of coping with stress, while social leisure and cultural leisure significantly predicted greater mental or physical health.

A Short-Term Longitudinal Analysis of Leisure Coping Used by Police and Emergency Response Service Workers

Despite the growth of leisure coping research, an important yet neglected idea is whether or not and how leisure contributes to coping with stress above and beyond the effects of general coping; that is, coping not directly associated with leisure (e.g., problem-focused coping). The purpose of the present study was to examine the contributions of leisure to coping with stress and maintaining good physical and mental health among workers of police and emergency response services when the effects of general coping were taken into account. According to hierarchical regression analyses, leisure coping showed a positive relationship with both short-term and longer-term outcomes of stress and coping above and beyond the contributions of general coping. It is worth emphasizing that mental health was significantly predicted only by leisure coping, not by general coping. The use of leisure for enhancing mood and facilitating palliative coping was found to significantly predict coping effectiveness, satisfaction with coping, and stress reduction. The facilitation of palliative coping and companionship through leisure was related to good mental health, whereas high leisure empowerment was associated with better physical health. Implications of the findings and future research perspectives on leisure coping are discussed.

Building community and social capital through children's leisure in the context of an international camp.

The purpose of the study was to explore the extent to which participation in leisure activities directed towards cooperation and effective communication affected the development of social capital and sense of community in a group of children at an international camp. Methods of data collection included participant observation and focus groups, which included drawings as a part of the focus group procedure. Through an inductive analysis of qualitative data gathered from 32 eleven-year old campers, leisure was observed to provide a common ground for the childrens relationship building and the development of shared meanings. The findings suggest that leisure can provide a foundation for the development of shared meanings through the process of participation and social learning, which in turn is conducive to the emergence of social capital and community.

Situational and Personality Influences on Intrinsically Motivated Leisure Behavior: Interaction Effects and Cognitive Processes

Intrinsic motivation in leisure activities has typically been viewed as being determined by factors in the social situation (e.g., extrinsic rewards, surveillance). However, it has been proposed that individual differences exist that make some people more likely to experience intrinsic motivation in their leisure regardless of the situation. In a laboratory experiment, 105 undergraduate students engaged in what was described as a leisure activity (puzzle game) under conditions that have been shown to foster (autonomy-supportive) or inhibit (controlling) intrinsic motivation. Prior to the experiment, Weissingers intrinsic leisure motivation (ILM) personality scale was administered. With the use of hierarchical regression procedures, the ILM orientation was found to interact with the type of situation, and a facilitation - suppression hypothesis was supported, suggesting that both person and situation factors need to be taken into account to understand a persons intrinsic motivation in a leisure activity....