The Serious Leisure Perspective and the Experience of Leisure

Abstract

The serious leisure perspective (SLP), which divides leisure activities into three distinct forms, serious, casual and project-based, has been developed by Robert Stebbins over the last 40 years. This paper evaluates the perspective as theory and as a typology. The theory associated with the SLP, concerning social worlds, identification and optimal leisure lifestyles, is found to be generally untested because it has been largely developed in relation to the serious leisure form only. The validity of the typology is questioned on the grounds that 'seriousness' is a continuum, rather than discrete categories, and that most leisure activities can be engaged in with varying degrees of seriousness. It is proposed that the SLP be replaced by a more flexible, open research approach, the Leisure Experience Perspective, which consolidates features of the SLP and other research traditions and a number of other theoretical perspectives.

Investigation The Relationship Between The Perceived Health Outcomes of Recreation and Life Satisfaction

“…Düzenli serbest zaman etkinliklerinin yaşam boyu sağlık için önemli olduğu ve kişinin yaşam tarzını etkilediği belirtilmektedir (Thomas, Silverman ve Nelson, 2015;Veal, 2017). İlgili çalışmalarda, serbest zaman etkinliklerinin tipi ve yoğunluğu, etkinliğe katılan kişinin amacına, ilgisine ve bireysel özelliklerine göre farklılık gösterebileceği (Shin ve You, 2013;Sivan, Tam, Siu ve Stebbins, 2019) gibi sosyal olma ihtiyacına yönelik ve sağlıklı olma amacına da vurgu yapıldığı görülmektedir (Coleman, 1993;Glover, 2018;Walker ve Kono, 2018).…”

The Relationships among Leisure Involvement, Organizational Commitment and Well-Being: Viewpoints from Sport Fans in Asia

“…Veal, for example, assessed the serious leisure perspective (SLP) and challenged its status as a theory and a three-level typology (casual, serious and project-based leisure). He argued that SLP theory had been untested in forms other than serious leisure and that serious leisure was a continuum rather than being represented by three discrete categories [71].…”

‘Every brew is a challenge and every glass of a good beer is an achievement’: home brewing and serious leisure

“…Thus, serious leisure demands a strong degree of commitment, for instance, in terms of time, effort, or intensity. Despite suggested weaknesses, or new perspectives to be considered (e.g., Scott, 2012;Veal, 2016), the SLC has various associations within the context of home brewing that justify its implementation in the present study. For instance, home brewing arguably demands a process of experimentation, trial and error, commitment, dedication and learning, whereby adepts must first invest in equipment and other resources to start their activity.…”