Leisure Cannot Exist without Work - Literature review Example

Leisure cannot exist without work Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: Introduction Leisure and work are issues that have forced themselves as key agendas in contemporary society. In most cases, people display conflicting attitudes towards both leisure and work. However, both concepts are fundamental in the lives of people. Work is a significant source of need satisfaction. In addition, engagement in work also acts as a source of self-esteem when good performance is attained (Kanungo, 1982). Leisure on the other hand offers psychological and physical benefits. Over the years, the work-leisure dichotomy has been a major subject of research. For instance in 1960 the sociology of leisure emerged as an offshoot of the sociology of work. Sociologists established that the core interest of leisure greatly depended on work (Roberts, 2006). Although the work-leisure dichotomy, has led to the understanding that leisure is the direct opposite of work, nevertheless it can be argued that leisure cannot exist without work. This paper will argue the fact that leisure cannot exist without work. The scope of the task will be grounded on evaluating the meaning of leisure and also examining leisure in Western societies and other societies. The concept of leisure has been a subject of many interpretations. The Human Kinetics Organization (2010) discloses that when people are asked about what leisure is, they mostly think of it as doing nothing, which puts leisure in negative light essentially in a work oriented society. Others view leisure as period of time in which they are unobligated and free. There are also people who hold the view that leisure involves earned activities that take place outside paid or unpaid work. Various psychological scholars have also defined leisure in a variety of ways. Pieper (1963) defines leisure as a spiritual and mental attitude that is independent of work or time. Leisure is also defined as an experience that occurs when people view themselves as free in order to select an activity that is intrinsically motivating and also enjoyable (Neulinger, 1981). The concept of leisure can also be defined as optimum arousal (Ellis, 1973). The dichotomy work-leisure in Western society supports the notion that leisure cannot exist without work. The history of the work- leisure dichotomy can be traced back to the growth of industrialization. The emergence of industrialization which is more frequently perceived in terms of economic change, instigated an equally powerful impact on behaviors and social relationships, including how people in society worked and played. The main features of industrialization included the factory system, the use of machines and the development of the clock. The use of machines enabled factories to centralize work. The clock on the other hand gave the workforce of the 18th Century the ability to estimate time precisely and thus increase the pace of work. The workers were in most cases subjected to long working hours which were controlled by the factory managers who used time. Cross (1990) highlights that the impact of industrialization on leisure and work was felt in the daily lives of the workers in the sense that time was divided into the income producing time and family time which took place when work was eliminated from home and only centered on the factories. A typical day for a worker was therefore divided into hours of works and later hours of leisure with the family. Both work and leisure where conducted in different places or environments. It can be argued that the work- leisure dichotomy that existed during the emergence of industrialization supports the notion that leisure cannot exist without work. This is because although the 18th Century worker spent most time in the factory, the time spent with family was actually considered as a locus of leisure. Therefore leisure (time spent with family) arose after a day work, thus supporting the notion that leisure cannot exist without work. Industrialization also influenced a phenomenon whereby work and leisure progressively become separate experiences for different genders. Women were to be involved in paid work between their childhoods until marriage. After getting married, women acquired their leisure time from the work that existed within the homes. With the centralization of leisure within the household, women were charged with the role of organizing leisure within the household. Responsibilities such as; preparation of meals, taking care of children during outings, parties and picnics was basically the definition of leisure for most women. Men on the other hand had a different experience of leisure. This occurred essentially when the man was out the factory environment and came back home. The home environment was therefore the main source of leisure for the man Cross (1990). It can therefore be argued that the experience of leisure by both men and women provides an implication that leisure cannot exist without work. For instance the women were able to get involved in leisure while undertaking work. The Protestant work-ethic that was propagated by Max Weber can also support the notion that leisure cannot exist without work. The Protestant work-ethic put prominence on features such as soberness, hard work and a disciplined way of life. According to Weber the rise of capitalism was influenced by people who put greater emphasis on work. Minimal emphasis was placed on the concept of leisure. This is because leisure was associated to waste of time, excessive sleep, enjoyment of wealth which would result to temptation of the flesh and idle talk. Such activities would therefore result to sin (Stebbins, 2012). Despite of the negative view on leisure and the dichotomy between work and leisure, the protestant work ethic also acknowledged the fact that leisure cannot take place without work. Weber (1930) highlights that leisure was only considered important when it lead to increased productivity. Activities such as sports therefore attained a partial amnesty from indictment, only if they created physical efficiency that can result to the improvement of productivity at work. It can therefore be argued that despite of the insignificance of leisure in the protestant work-ethic, it can be stated that the leisure activities that were to be undertake had to be linked to work. Although leisure is distinct from work the pursuit of leisure in Australia also greatly depicts that leisure cannot exist without work. In a study to examine the protestant work ethic and hedonism among Kyrgyz, Turkish and Australian college students, Veysel and Bayram (2008) highlights that Australia is a highly developed and wealthy multicultural society that has population that is principally protestant. Most young people are greatly swayed by with a culture that is strongly grounded in the search for leisure. This is influenced by the fact that young people can access a high amount of disposable income due to the existence of part time jobs, while still undertaking their education. The income earned from working is then used for leisure activities. As argued by Roberts, (2006) income greatly influences participation in leisure activities and the type of leisure activities that a person is involved in. Thus, the involvement of young people in part times jobs promotes the argument that leisure cannot exist without work. According to Clancy (2004), in contemporary Australia, it has always been difficult and it’s still becoming more difficult to talk about leisure without talking about work. There is a contention in Australia concerning work ethic and the leisure activities such as taking a holiday. Frequent antagonism between employers and employees also gives indication that Australian employees require an opportunity to engage in leisure after work. For instance, employees prefer that public holidays are transferred to Monday in for them to get successive days away from the workplace. A social commentator Ronald Conway once wrote an article known as The Land of the long weekend implying that Australians prefer to have long weekends away from work. Consequently it can be argued that the need for more time from work implies that leisure can only take place when work is deferred and therefore supporting the notion that leisure cannot exist without work. Also today, there has been an increase in the number of people who engage in work while at the same time engaging in leisure. This has mainly been influenced by the increased use of modern technologies such as computers, I pads and mobile phones which have closed the precise line of differentiation that exist between the place of work and residence where leisure takes place. Many contemporary devices act as both work tools and toys which can be used for leisure. For instance a student can be working on an assignment using a computer while at the same time they can be playing computer games. Also a smartly dressed woman can use her mobile phone to close a business deal while at the same time she can use the phone to call up her peers in order to have lunch. What is undoubtedly true is that the use of technology has greatly instigated the fact that leisure can run concurrently with work, nevertheless in order for leisure to take place work takes prominence essentially if an individual considers work as significant or serious. For instance, a serious student using a computer to complete his/her assignment, will foremost handle the assignment and when they require a break or when they have completed the task, they can then get involved in the leisure activity such as playing the video game (Clancy, 2004). In other societies such as the Chinese community, leisure has become a more diverse and significant. China has over the years experienced immense economic transformation. This is mainly attributed to the hard working nature of the Chinese people. Xing (2012) discloses that China is a labor intensive society and it is therefore difficult for people to find time to be involved in leisure. Nevertheless, despite of the emphasis on work, certain classes of Chinese people have learnt that all work without play makes Jack a dull boy. For instance; in orders to demonstrate their social status, rich Chinese people are involved in leisure activities such as golf and tennis. Involvement in such games indicates that they have a lot of money and time to experience a luxurious life as opposed to other people. China demonstrates the existence of the leisure class whereby the upper class are excepted from occupations such as industrial work which requires them to work for long hours and have minimal time for leisure activities. However it can be argued that in the context of contemporary Chinese society it can be stated that despite of the existence of a leisure class and the minimal involvement in leisure activities by a large section of the population, leisure cannot exist without work. When evaluating ancient cultures such as the Minoan culture of the Greek, leisure and work were two complementing factors. Ancient Minoan people were involved in various types of work such as rearing of sheep, making of textile products and ceramics. Gosden (2003) highlights that while undertaking these activities the Minoans would make such activities to be fascinating and also captivating to the eyes. Thus leisure was attained during the working process. It can therefore be argued that societies such as ancient Minoan culture also demonstrate the fact that leisure cannot exist without work. Various religions also perceive leisure and work differently. For the Orthodox Christians, there is a distinction between leisure and work. According to the Orthodox, payment of work is to compensate a person for forgoing leisure. For Buddhists, leisure and work are complementary aspects of life and cannot be separated without destroying the bliss attained from leisure and the joy attained from work. Therefore maximizing work or employment is not the central factor in life but rather it is vital for people to enjoy their life and therefore they should engage in leisure (Clarke, 2011). Buddhists are therefore encouraged to take part in leisure activities while at the same time be involved in work. Both religious views support the notion that leisure cannot exist without work due to the fact that work has to exist either as a substitute of leisure as argued by the Orthodox or as a compliment of leisure as propagated by the Buddhists. Conclusion The discussion above has presented various views concerning the notion that leisure cannot exist without work. Some of the arguments raised include the development of the industrial revolution which demonstrated that although factory work was a central aspect, leisure did exist and this occurred after work within the home environment. The protestant ethic also did support this particular notion in the sense that leisure was only considered important when it lead to increased productivity. The paper also takes note of the fact that the Australian society is progressively adopting leisure and work as compliments due to technology advancements. The paper also examined other societies such as the Chinese societies, the orthodox Christians and the Buddhists. In all these societies leisure exists after work. In conclusion, it can be stated that despite of the dichotomy between leisure and work, leisure cannot exist without work. References Clarke, M 2011, Development and Religion: Theology and Practice, Elgar Publishing. Cross, G 1990, A social history of leisure since 1600. Stare College, PA: Venrure. Clancy, L 2004, Culture and Customs of Australia, Greenwood Publishing Group. Eliss, J 1973, Why people play, Englewood; Prentice Hall. Gosden, C 2003, Prehistory: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press. Human Kinetics Organization 2010, Dimensions of Leisure for Life: Individuals and Society, Health & Fitness. Kanungo , R 1982, Work Alienation: An Integrative Approach , ABC-CLIO. Neulinger, J 1982, The psychology of Leisure, Springfield. Pieper, J 1963, Leisure the basis of culture, New York: Random House. Roberts, K 2006, Leisure in Contemporary Society, CABI. Stebbins, R 2012, Between Work and Leisure: A Study of the Common Ground of Two Separate, Transaction Publishers. Veysel, B and Bayram, N 2008, The protestant work ethic and hedonism among Kyrgyz, Turkish And Australian college students, Department of Labour Economics and Industrial Relations. Weber, M 1930, Protestant Ethic , German Publication. Xin, C 2012, Lack of leisure time takes toll on workers, China Daily. Read More