Manufacturing adventure: The buying and selling of emotions

Abstract

Adventurous outdoor leisure is perceived as those recreational activities that pose either a real or perceived threat to participants. In commercial settings the risks are minimized but for novice consumers adventure often retains the intense emotional component that comes with adventure (e.g., navigating thunderous rapids). Previous discussions of the social-psychological consequences of risk taking have not focused on the novice; yet, social-psychological implications are present as novice consumers increasingly engage in adventure leisure without the necessary skills and competence previously deemed essential to the adventure process. This article provides an ethnographic description of the emotional components of adventure from the viewpoint of a novice consumer. Felt emotions are transformed in a social context and experiences, not otherwise available to novice consumers, are made possible. Interpretations are nurtured and experiences are transformed as instrumental aims of organizations combine with the desire to feel risk in contemporary culture. © 1999 Sage Publications, Inc.