Leisure, optimal experience and psychological selection : cultural and developmental perspectives

The scientific literature on leisure has proposed different approaches to classify free time activities. However, there is a substantial convergence among authors in distinguishing between two broad typologies of leisure. The first typology refers to activities characterized by clear structure and rules, fostering engagement, fulfillment, and long-term commitment. It includes active leisure activities as defined by Csikszentmihalyi (Flow. The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row, New York, 1990); structured activities promoting concentration and effort toward goal achievement, as identified by Kleiber and his colleagues (J Leisure Res 18:169-176, 1986); and serious leisure activities (Stebbins RA, New directions in the theory and research of serious leisure. The Edwin Mellen, Lewiston, 2001; Serious leisure: A perspective for our time. Transaction Publishers, London, 2007) that foster participants' long-term acquisition of special skills, knowledge, and experience. The second typology of leisure comprises activities requiring low energy investment and promoting relaxation (Csikszentmihalyi M, Flow. The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row, New York, 1990), unstructured tasks that provide pleasure and fun without high demands (Kubey R, Csikszentmihalyi M, Television and the quality of life: How viewing shapes everyday experience. Erlbaum, Hillsdale, 1990; Larson, RW, Kleiber D, Daily experience of adolescents. In: Tolan P, Cohler B (eds) Handbook of clinical research and practice with adolescents. Wiley, New York, pp 125-145, 1993), and casual leisure activities, immediately enjoyable and rewarding, relatively short-lived, and requiring little or no specialist training (Stebbins RA, Serious leisure: A perspective for our time