A PSYCHOLOGY FOR LEISURE RESEARCH

Abstract

ABSTRACT Among the social sciences psychological interest in leisure phenomena is most recent. Leisure is typically viewed as problematic to the individual and society—a legacy from sociology, and this fact seems to have attracted a social psychological analysis when psychology has been used to study leisure. A cognitive and interactionist perspective is seen to hold the most promise for the successful study of leisure. While mainstream social psychology has predominantly used experimental methodologies, few rigorously controlled studies to determine the antecedents and consequences of leisure behaviour have been carried out, inspite of periodic exhortations to do so. This article identifies recent influences on the psychological study of leisure, briefly explores some of the research possibilities concerning personality and leisure experience, and speculates about the potential for the application of research findings.