Anthropological views of play

Abstract

Until very recently anthropology has given little attention to the study of human play, a circumstance which reflects the Western view that play is unseemly behavior. Modern anthropologists now view play as universal and strikingly conspicuous human behavior that must be studied to reach the goal of understanding man and his culture. Physical anthropologists have concerned themselves with the play of nonhuman primates, giving attention to its bearing upon human behavior and the question of the evolutionary significance of play behavior. Cultural and social anthropologists look at play as culturally molded behavior and examine similarities and differences in its forms throughout the world. Although much variation exists in specific forms of play, all human societies are seen to be fundamentally alike in their play behavior. Greatest attention is now being given to the functional and dysfunctional significance of play in human life and the relationship of play to other elements of culture. Major subjects of current study are play and social control, play and social-psychological problems, play and communication-cognition, and play as related to a variety of other subjects including religion, law, economics, motivation toward achievement, politics, aggression, role-learning, and creativity. © 1974 by the American Society of Zoologists.