Leisure time: Behavioural Factors, Course of Life and Lifestyle

Abstract

Leisure cannot be perceived as a phenomenon that affects all people to the same degree. General statistical trends such as more time, higher available disposable income or technical innovations cannot lead to the conclusion that every member of the society changes its leisure activities in the same way and adapts to the new framework conditions.  Whether and how individual social differences affect leisure time, are reproduced or transformed in view of current socio-political changes continues to be a particularly topical question in the study of leisure time and lifestyle.  The ultimate goal of this research is the analysis of behavioural factors, the course of life and lifestyle as regards leisure time. The method adopted for the study was a review of the relevant literature.  In the light of the present study, it is found that a differentiated view of leisure behaviour should essentially be followed from two complementary perspectives: a theory of action and a theory of structure.  This action occurs in a social structure, which specifies a place of action for the individual, in which the individual actions are consciously or unconsciously adapted. The analysis of social structures to date can be made more precise.   Lifestyles are mainly distinguished by the activities they contain. This means creating a style that results from everyday visible actions and ways of behaving.  Orientations are also taken into consideration, which could lead to the conclusion on which principles people organize their lives. Lifestyle, in a nutshell, can be understood as a thematically structured model of providing motivation, perceptions, behaviour and experience in order to meet needs, accomplish tasks, and reach or achieve goals.  From the social sciences point of view, it has been shown that lifestyle expression depends on demographic factors that are not influenced, such as age and gender, as well as social factors such as education, occupational status and income. As a result, we can maintain that the change trends as regards leisure time that were discussed here undoubtedly provide a good basis for estimating leisure activities. Adequate time and financial resources are essential to this end.