LEISURE AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING RELATIONSHIPS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

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1 LEISURE AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING RELATIONSHIPS: A QUALITATIVE STUDY Paul Heintzman, Acadia Conceptual discussions of leisure have often had spiritual overtones or linked leisure with spirituality (e.g., Doohan, 1990; Godbey, 1989; Goodale, 1994; Howe-Murphy & Murphy, 1987; Pieper, 1952). Although the topic of leisure and spirituality is receiving greater attention (Driver, Dustin, Baltic, EIsner, & Peterson, 1996; McDonald & Schreyer, 1991) there is still a paucity of theoretical reflection and empirical study on the relationship between these two concepts. The few studies reported have explored the relationship between nature-based leisure experiences and spirituality (e.g., Fox, 1997; Stringer & McAvoy, 1992). One possible relationship between leisure and spirituality is the relationship between leisure and spiritual well-being. Ragheb (1993) found that frequency of leisure participation and level of leisure satisfaction were positively associated with perceived wellness, including spiritual weliness. The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover, through in-depth interviews with a small sample, the processes that link leisure with spiritual well-being. Method Purposive intensity sampling (Patton, 1990) was used in this study to select those people who had a more active and expressed interest in spirituality, and therefore, who were information-rich sources for the purposes of this study. An attempt was made to obtain a sample which included participants who had an active and expressed interest in traditional forms of spirituality and participants who had an active and expressed interest in alternative forms of spirituality. A variety of groups and organizations which offered spiritually-oriented events and activities were contacted to facilitate the recruitment of the study participants. A recruitment poster, as well as verbal and written announcements were used by the leaders/facilitators of these groups to recruit participants. The snowball technique was also used to complete the sample, that is, participants were asked if they knew of other people who had an expressed interest in spirituality who might be interested in being interviewed. A total of eight people participated in the study. The researcher conducted in-depth interviews with the eight participants. An in-depth interview schedule was used as a guide by the researcher when conducting the interview. The questions were designed to explore the relationships between leisure and spiritual well-being. As the interview progressed, attention was paid to how and why questions; probing took place to determine the processes at work which link leisure and spiritual well-being. The interviews were recorded on audio tapes for later transcription and data analysis. Interpretive analysis was used to identify themes in the interview data. The transcripts were analyzed inductively to seek patterns and themes based on the data (Patton, 1990). The constant comparison technique was used to guide this process of theme development and understanding (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Through this method, the transcripts were carefully read, reread and coded to determine recurring themes and patterns within the data. Second, the transcripts were reread, taking account of the initial codes, and comparisons were made both within and between interviews. During this process, patterns

2 were observed which represented commonly shared explanations of the processes that linked leisure and spiritual well-being. Third, the data was then organized according to these patterns which led to the development of a number of themes which explained the linkages between leisure and spiritual well-being. Findings Several themes were identified through the data analysis. There was almost unanimous agreement by the participants that they considered the activities or experiences which enhanced their spiritual well-being to be leisure. Also there was also almost unanimous agreement that their leisure activities and experiences were associated with their spiritual well-being. Participants saw leisure as important for spiritual well-being because leisure provided the time and space for spiritual well-being. A careful reading of the data suggested that the relationship between leisure and spiritual well-being involved more than just time and space. A number of participants saw the relationship between leisure and spiritual well-being to be somewhat complex; there was not a direct relationship between them. Some activities could be leisure, yet not conducive to spiritual well-being. Some things that were conducive to spiritual well-being were not necessarily leisure. A key factor was the attitude that participants brought to their activities: an attitude characterized by being awake to seeing, discernment, intentionality, focus, a different way of seeing things, gratefulness, gratitude, seeing with new eyes, and keeping awareness open. There was overwhelming consensus amongst participants that busyness in life detracted from spiritual well-being. The theme that occurred, in contrast to busyness, although there was less consensus on this theme, was that of balance. Balance in life was conducive to spiritual wellbeing, and well-being in general. Participants were asked whether they associated any settings of their leisure activities with spiritual well-being or growth. All respondents mentioned the outdoors or nature. The reasons why natural settings were more conducive to spiritual well-being varied. Some participants saw nature as being conducive to spiritual well-being as it elicited a sense of wonder and awe. For some participants nature was conducive to their spiritual well-being as nature helped them connect with their God. Other participants mentioned that the richness and diversity of nature was life-giving and rejuvenating. Participants talked about nature in general--whether that be in the backyard gardening or in remote wilderness areas. A few participants did talk specifically about remote wilderness areas and suggested that leisure in these areas had some particular characteristics which were conducive to spiritual well-being. In general, leisure in these settings allowed participants to leave the demands and expectations of the everyday world behind and to focus on the basics of life which were related to ones spiritual well-being. A minor theme, related to leisure settings, was that participants found that settings which had a sense of personal or human history were conducive to spiritual well-being. Another recurring theme that appeared was that settings characterized by silence, solitude and quiet were conducive to spiritual well-being. While settings of quiet, solitude and silence were conducive to spiritual well-being, noisy settings and activities were most frequently mentioned as that which detracted from spiritual well-being.

3 While there were some commonalities amongst participants as to which leisure activities improved spiritual well-being, there was quite a diversity of activities mentioned. It seems that the particular activities in and of themselves were not as significant in terms of spiritual wellbeing as the function of the activities in the participants lives. Leisure activities that helped people get in touch with themselves, that helped them be true to self and that helped them express their personality, were the ones that promoted spiritual well-being. There was not clear consensus on which activities inhibited or detracted from spiritual well-being. Generally, unauthentic activities, or activities that introduced an element of incongruence or tension for the participant, were seen as detracting from spiritual well-being. Discussion The association between leisure and spirituality supports the conceptual discussions of those who have linked the two (e.g., Doohan, 1990; Godbey, 1989; Goodale, 1994; Howe- Murphy & Murphy, 1987; Pieper, 1952). The themes identified through the data analysis, are consistent with previous conceptual discussions and research findings, and the themes may be organized according to four dimensions of leisure style: time, motivation, setting (physical and social), and activity. In regards to the time dimension, leisure created the time and space to nurture spiritual well-being. This finding is consistent with literature which suggests leisure is necessary for spiritual development (e.g., Doohan, 1990; Lee, 1964). However, time did not necessarily guarantee spiritual well-being. How one filled the time was also important. This finding is consistent with other findings that suggest that time and space do not guarantee well-being (Csikszentmihalyi, 1994; Iso-Ahola, 1994). Busyness in life detracted from spiritual well-being while balance in life was helpful for spiritual well-being. These findings bear some resemblance to research conducted on time pressure and mental health which has found that both low and excessive levels of time pressure seem to be negatively correlated with mental health (Zuzanek, 1998). The attitude or motivation that one brought to their free time also influenced spiritual wellbeing. Participants mentioned that an attitude of being open and being aware contributed to leisure being conducive to their spirituai well-being. The phrases that the participants used to describe this attitude have similarities with sacralization ( sensitizing to the spiritual, Chandler, Holden & Kolander, 1992) and receptivity which is defined as an open-minded attitude to what time, space, emotions and physical conditions are offering a person (Hendee & Brown, 1988; McDonald & Schreyer, 1991; Pieper, 1952). In terms of physical setting, settings that were natural were associated with spiritual well-being (cf., research findings by Fox, 1997; Stringer & McAvoy, 1992). Minor themes related to physical settings were that both remote settings and settings of personal or human history were associated with spiritual well-being. The former finding is consistent with the being away feature of restorative environments theory (Kaplan, 1995) and the latter finding is consistent with research on sense of place (Williams, Patterson, Roggenbuck, & Watson, 1992) and favourite places (Korpela & Hartig, 1996). In regards to social settings, settings characterized by solitude were conducive to spiritual well-being, whereas noisy settings were seen as being detrimental to spiritual well-being. This contrast is consistent with the polar extremes of the continuum from soft fascination to hard fascination, one of the features of restorative environments theory (Kaplan, 1995). As far as leisure activities were concerned, although specific activities which enhanced or hindered spiritual wellbeing might vary from individual to individual, in general, true to self activities contributed to spiritual wellbeing whereas unauthentic or incongruent activities detracted

4 from spiritual well-being. The themes of true to self activities and unauthentic or incongruent activities supports the compatibility feature of restorative environments theory (Kaplan, 1995). References Chandler, C.K., Holden, J.M, & Kolander, C.A. (1992). Counseling for spiritual wellness: Theory and practice. Journal of Counseling and Development, 71, Czikszentmihalyi, M. (1994). The consequences of leisure for mental health. In D.M. Compton & S.E. Iso-Ahola (Eds.), Leisure and mental health (Vol. I) (pp ). Park City, UT: Family Development Resources, Inc. Doohan, L. (1990). Leisure: A spiritual need. Notre Dame, IN: Ave Maria Press. Driver, B.L., Dustin, D., Baltic, T., Eisner, G., & Peterson, G. (Eds.). (1996). Nature and the human spirit: Toward an expanded land management ethic. State College, PA: Venture. Fox, R.J. (1997). Women, nature and spirituality: A qualitative study exploring womens wilderness experience. In D. Rowe & P. Brown (Eds.), Proceedings, ANZALS conference 1997 (pp ). Newcastle, NSW: Australian and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies, and the Department of Leisure and Tourism Studies, The of Newcastle. Glaser, B.G., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Chicago, IL: Aldine. Godbey, G. (1989). Implications of recreation and leisure research for professionals. In E.L. Jackson & T.L. Burton (Eds.), Understanding leisure and recreation: Mapping the past, charting the future (pp ). State College, PA: Venture. Goodale, T.L. (1994). Legitimizing leisure anew. Paper presented at the Scholarly Presentations portion of the 25th-Anniversaxy of the Leisure Studies Department, of Ottawa. Ottawa, ON. May 14, Hendee, J.C., & Brown, M. (1988). Wilderness and human potential: How wilderness facilitates personal growth. In V. Martin (Ed.), For the conservation of the earth, 4th World Wilderness Congress proceedings (pp ). Golden, CO: Fulcrum Inc. Howe-Murphy, R., & Murphy, 3. (1987). An exploration of the New Age consciousness paradigm in therapeutic recreation. In C. Sylvester, 3. Hemingway, R. Howe- Murphy, K. Mobily & P. Shank (Eds.), Philosophy of therapeutic recreation: Ideas and issues (Vol II), (pp ). Arlington, VA: National Recreation and Park Association. Iso-Ahola, S.E. (1997). A psychological analysis of leisure and health. In J.T. Haworth (Ed.), Work, leisure and well-being (pp ). New York: Routledge. Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15, Korpela, K., & Hartig, T. (1996). Restorative qualities of favourite places. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16(3), Lee, R. (1964). Religion and leisure in America: A study in four dimensions. New York, NY: Abingdon Press. McDonald, B.L., & Schreyer, R. (1991) Spiritual benefits of leisure participation and leisure settings. In B.L. Driver, P.J. Brown & G.L. Peterson (Eds.), Benefits of leisure (pp ). State College, PA: Venture Publishing.

5 Patton, M. (1990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Pieper, J. (1952). Leisure: The basis of culture. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. Ragheb, M.G. (1993). Leisure and perceived wellness: A field investigation. Leisure Sciences, 15, Stringer, L.A., & McAvoy, L.H. (1992). The need for something different: Spirituality and wilderness adventure. Journal of Experiential Education, 15(1), Williams, D., Patterson, M., Roggenbuck, J., & Watson, A. (1992). Beyond the commodity metaphor: Examining emotional and symbolic attachment to place. Leisure Sciences, 14, Zu.zanek, J.(l998). Time use, time pressure, personal stress, mental health, and life satisfaction from a life cycle perspective. Manuscript submitted for publication. Contact Information: Paul Heintzman, Recreation Management and Kinesiology, Acadia, Wolfville, NS, BOP IXO. paul.heintzman@.acadiau.ca Phone: (902) Fax: (902) Back to the table of contents

6 ABSTRACTS of Papers Presented at the Ninth Canadian Congress on Leisure Research May 12-15, 1999 Acadia, Wolfville, Nova Scotia Editor: Paul Heintzman Assisted by: Karen Naugler and Sean Smith Printed and bound by Acadia Printing Services Copyright 1999 Canadian Association of Leisure Studies Organizing Team for the Ninth Canadian Congress on Leisure Research: Glyn Bissix Tom Delamere Paul Heintzman Scott Hennigar Susan Markham-Starr Heidi McKinnon Neil Munro Karen Naugler Brenda Robertson Jerry Singleton I

7 The Canadian Congress on Leisure Research Is held under the auspices of the Canadian Association for Leisure Studies Le Congres canadien de la recherche en loisir se tient sous les auspices de L'Association canadienne d'etudes en loisir BOARD OF DIRECTORS/CONSEIL D'ADMINISTRATION President/Presidente Dr. Edgar L. Jackson of Alberta Past President/President-sortant Dr. Susan M. Shaw of Waterloo Vice-President & Treasurer Vice-president et tresorier Robert Soubrier Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres Secretary/Secretaire Dr. Tom Hinch of Alberta Directors/Directeurs Dr. Linda Caldwell Pennsylvania State Dr. Wendy Frisby of British Columbia Dr. Susan Markham-Starr Acadia Dr. Lisa Ostiguy Concordia Dr. Paul F. Wilkinson York Dr. Don Dawson Universite d'ottawa Dr. Colleen Hood Dalhousie Dr. Gaetan Ouellet Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres Dr. Bryan Smale of Waterloo II