ABSTRACT

First published in 1987. Following an introductory chapter on the nature of theory and the outline of the book, there are eight chapters on the explanatory approaches, or models, employed in this dialectical analysis of the leisure industry. These models focus on particular elements of leisure: experience, decision, development, identities, interaction, institutions, political forces, and human definitions. With a new preface to the re-issue by the author, this title will be of great interest to students of Sociology and Leisure Studies.

chapter 1|19 pages

The Play of Theories

chapter 2|22 pages

Leisure as Immediate Experience

chapter 3|18 pages

Existential Theory

chapter 4|33 pages

Developmental Theory

chapter 5|25 pages

Social Identity Theory

chapter 6|20 pages

Interaction Theory

chapter 7|35 pages

Institutional Theory

chapter 8|32 pages

Political Theory

chapter 9|22 pages

Humanist Theory

chapter 10|14 pages

Dialectical Theory: A Synthesis