Deconstructing serious leisure using identity theory

Abstract

Stebbins’s concept of serious leisure has been widely used to delineate and describe an intense form of leisure participation. To date, however, the causal relationships among the six distinguishing characteristics of serious leisure have not been sufficiently substantiated and empirically examined. Guided by identity theory, this study developed a causal model among four individual level behavioral and psychological characteristics of serious leisure and level of commitment. Data were collected via mail surveys from members of the American Birding Association (N = 954). Results of structural equation modeling indicated that: (a) durable benefits positively affected commitment, identity, perseverance, and effort; (b) commitment positively influenced perseverance and effort; and (c) identity positively affected perseverance and effort. Results provide evidence that identity and commitment play mediating roles between durable benefits and other facets of serious leisure experience (i.e., perseverance, effort). These findings highlight the pivotal role of durable benefits in serious leisure participation.

Keywords:

• Serious leisure
• identity theory
• identity
• durable benefits
• commitment
• perseverance
• efforts

Notes

1 In social psychology there are two different kinds of identity theories: identity theory and social identity theory (Stets & Burke, 2000). Identity theory is distinguished from social identity theory in that it considers not groups but roles for the base of identity, uses the term of identity salience instead of activation of identities, and focuses on the cognitive process of self-verification process rather than depersonalization. For more information, see Stets and Burke (2000).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Primus Research Programme at Charles University [grant no. 247054].