Psychology and Social Psychology and the Study of Leisure

Abstract

Various social science traditions have influenced theory and research on leisure. In this chapter, we describe psychological perspectives, and these perspectives are primarily those of social psychology with some influences from personality and developmental psychology. Advocates of the development of a social psychology of leisure have generally championed post-positivist psychological social psychological approaches, but interpretive or constructionist sociological social psychologies have contributed as well. These influences are discussed along with other factors that have shaped the social psychological tradition in leisure studies. The frequent claim that leisure research, particularly North American research, is predominantly psychological is also examined. Though clearly focused on individual-level phenomena, we question whether it is substantially grounded in psychological epistemology, methodology and theory. The future of psychological approaches to the study of leisure is explored, including the cross-cultural and international diversity of efforts to understand leisure from social psychological perspectives. We find little evidence that indigenous social psychologies of leisure have emerged in other cultural contexts. However, there are promising social psychological efforts emerging to explore and explain cross-cultural differences and similarities in leisure behaviour and experience. Finally, the growth of interest in leisure as a psychological variable outside of leisure studies and implications for the future are discussed.