Adventure as Character Work: The Collective Taming of Fear

Holyfield, Lori; Fine, Gary Alan

doi:10.1525/si.1997.20.4.343

Cited by 41 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Losing control and then being able to regain control by managing one's fears leads to a sense of 'self-actualisation' or 'self-realisation'. From this perspective, Claudio's interview could be related to Holyfield and Fine (1997), who claim that taming fear does encourage character-building among adolescents.…”

Section: Young Tourists On Ios: a Profilementioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Scary … but I like it!’ Young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday

Mura

2010

Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change

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This paper explores young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday. The work on which this paper is based is important because it sheds light on tourists' emotional experiences on holiday, which are central to increase our understanding of tourist behaviour. The importance of investigating perceptions of fear has been recognized within a number of different disciplines, such as psychology, sociology, criminology, and marketing. Indeed, it has been argued that fear may provide significant information concerning an individual's motivations, preferences, and patterns of behaviour. Despite this, perceptions of fear within the tourism experience have remained relatively unexplored. It is often assumed that perceptions of safety and security may influence individuals' destination choice. However, there is a paucity of studies concerning tourists' perceptions of fear during the tourism experience. This paper is based on three months of qualitative fieldwork conducted on the island of Ios, Greece in the summer of 2007. More specifically, participant observation and semi-structured interviews were methods employed for data collection to explore young tourists' perceptions of fear. The possibility to develop a rapport and build a relationship with young tourists on Ios was crucial to collect valuable information concerning tourists' background, their emotions, expectations, perceptions, and the context in which perceptions of fear were experienced and expressed. The study found that most holidaymakers on Ios participated in activities perceived as risky in order to experience fear. In this respect, young tourists deliberately sought fear and thrill to increase their levels of pleasure and enjoyment during the tourism experience. The results suggest that fear may play a positive role in the tourism experience of young tourists, which should no longer be ignored by tourism scholars.

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Section: Young Tourists On Ios: a Profilementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on perceptions of fear within the leisure environment and outdoor recreation (e.g. Ewert, 1986;Holyfield & Fine, 1997;Lyng, 1990) settings provide insight into people's emotional experiences and shed light on the role that fear plays for an individual.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘Scary … but I like it!’ Young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday

Mura

2010

Journal of Tourism and Cultural Change

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“…While we tend to avoid many forms of danger in everyday life, there also exists the notion that hiding from every possible uncertainty renders one weak in character. Thus, we face danger because it is good for our character (Holyfield and Fine 1997), as the challenge provides an opportunity to realize hidden aspects of our selves, forge new identities (Lyman and Scott 1989), and experience what is real and meaningful (Biron 1990; Csikszentmihalyi 1975; Mead 1938).…”

Section: Dancer and Charactermentioning

confidence: 99%

Making and Facing Danger: Constructing Strong Character on the River

Jonas¹

1999

Symbolic Interaction

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River guides are those individuals given the extraordinary task of delivering their passengers from the dangers and chaos of white‐water rivers. After engaging in what Coffman would call fateful action, river guides emerge with perceived strong character. However, before river guides can achieve such an elevated identity, they must first manage the passengers' view of the rapids as dangerous. In this article, I discuss the various techniques river guides use to construct and enhance danger on the river, how facing such danger is used to demonstrate strong character, and its relevance as a basis for authority in a leisure setting.

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“…For example, the environment might afford a deeper relationship with nature for the tourist on a whitewater rafting trip attuned to perceiving and acting upon that affordance. The same environment can afford thrills for the person attuned to perceiving and acting upon thrills, or communion with others for the person attuned to social affordances (Holyfield, 2000;Holyfield & Fine, 1997). A multiday raft trip might provide different affordances for the novice wanting hedonism and excitement compared to those interested in connecting with nature and immersion.…”

Section: An Everview Of Ecological Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Ecological Dynamics Perspective on Adventure Tourism

Peacock¹,

Brymer²,

Davids³

et al. 2017

Tourism Review International

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Traditional definitions for adventure tourism have focused on the adventure tourism activity or the adventure tourism environment. In these cases the activity is most often associated with risk and the environment associated with unfamiliarity and natural terrains. Critiques of these definitions have pointed out that this traditional perspective is limited. The risk focus is paradoxical as clients purchase adventure experiences involving risk and uncertainty, whereas tour operators must minimize the risk and emphasize safety. Additionally, adventure tourism can also take place in urban or man-made environments. Furthermore, the traditional definitions mostly ignore the lived experience of the adventure consumer. Individuals undertake adventure for a variety of reasons, including risk and thrills, health and well-being, connection to others and nature, recreational mastery, and personal development. We propose a nuanced conceptual understanding of adventure tourism within an ecological dynamics perspective that considers the relationship between the person, the adventure activity and the surrounding environment, and the recognition of affordances that support well-being. This theoretical approach provides a useful framework for operators and researchers that encourages a more personalized and meaningful experience for the tourist.

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Adventure as Character Work: The Collective Taming of Fear

Cited by 41 publications

References 43 publications

‘Scary … but I like it!’ Young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday

‘Scary … but I like it!’ Young tourists' perceptions of fear on holiday

Making and Facing Danger: Constructing Strong Character on the River

An Ecological Dynamics Perspective on Adventure Tourism

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