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Samenvatting Leisure Chapter 3 (Extensive)
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3. leisure behavior: culture and the individualThe behavioral approach: why people do certain things in their leisure time and why they do not
experience other activities as leisure.
3.1 society, structure and culture
Every person is part of a society. You live with others, this is something that all people share
worldwide. In spite of this fact, the way that we live together differs enormously. The concept
‘society’ is often described by borders. A society is composed of a group of people living within the
same borders.
Social structure
A social structure is nothing more than a network of people connected to each other. A recognizable
example of a social structure is an organization chart of a company. An organizational chart shows
what the job functions are in a business and what the hierarchical line is. A harmonious relationship
in a social structure is also called social integration.
Social culture
A society is also defined by culture. In what way do people in a determined social structure live
together? How do they communicate?
The definition of culture is ‘everything that humans have brought fourth’. Culture is the opposite of
nature. There are material elements of culture (architecture, literature and clothing, etc.) and
immaterial elements of culture (religion, norms and values, communication, etc.).
Definitions
Culture in the broad sense - A society culture includes all material and immaterial elements that
have been brought forth by humans within that culture and passed down to next generations.
Culture in the narrow sense - Culture can also refer to the artistic expression of humans, everything
that can be found in museums, theatres, cinema’s, etc.
When defining culture in the narrow sense, distinction is made between high culture and low
culture.
High culture – all elite culture, cultural expressions that are only accessible to the upper class. This
group has the financial means, experience and intelligence to appreciate certain forms of art that
the rest of the society has no affinity with (opera’s, philosophical literature, etc.).
Low culture – a popular culture such as artistic expressions meant to entertain the public (pop
concerts, television programs, etc.)
The border between high and low culture is not objective.
Culture = all values, norms, views, institutions and traditions that characterize a group of people.
Values = what is normally considered important or good
Norms = concrete rules based on these values
Views = shared ideas about certain subjects
Institutions = legislative and judicial authorities, political parties and educative institutions
Traditions = actions that are typical for that culture and usually handed down from previous
generations
The social structure and culture in which we live influences our leisure behavior.
, 3.2 Sub-cultures and social groups
Sub-cultures and lifestyles
Not everyone is the same within a certain culture. Not every person has the same values, norms,
views and customs. The fact that not everyone adheres to these cultural mores is called deviant
behavior.
Sub-culture = a culture that deviates in some respects but is the same in other respects from the
cultural whole to which the sub-culture belongs.
Sub-cultures can be divided by demographic (generations), geographic, psychographic and
behavioral characteristics.
Primary socialization takes place in the first stage of life. This includes parents or caregivers teaching
a child what’s right and wrong, but also influences of teachers and other people in their
surroundings. When a child reaches puberty, the secondary socialization begins. The teenager is
more influenced by peers. In the phase of life between 15 and 25 years old many young people join
sub-cultures. For that reason this age group would show more signs of deviant behavior. In some
cases these cultural groups are so different from the predominant social culture that the sub-culture
becomes a contra-culture: entire groups rebel against the general values and norms, views and
customs.
Many younger people consciously or unconsciously look for role models, people they can compare
themselves to and be like. The individual unconsciously creates a frame of reference. This is ‘all
knowledge, explanations and judgment with regard to the social surroundings’. A person’s views
seems to be mainly influenced by the frame of reference.
The codes, symbols and expressions belonging to a sub-culture are also called lifestyle features. In
other words, the whole of codes, symbols and expressions of a specific group form the lifestyle of
that sub-culture.
Sub-culture and leisure behavior
Sub-cultures strongly influence our leisure behavior. Choice of what event to go to or which vacation
destination to choose, as well as what sports to participate in, are all influenced by the sub-culture
one is part of.
People will more often than not be convinced that their choices are their own and not influenced by
others. But influence from our reference groups and sub-cultures on our leisure behavior remains
great.
3.3 the individual and his identity
We are mainly formed by our surroundings, on a macro level (societal level) as well as on a meso
level (reference groups and sub-cultures). The third level of factors that helps determine our
behavior is the individual level.
Individual needs
An individual’s lifestyle is expressed through codes, symbols and expressions from that person, and
seems to be largely determined by the social role of that individual within the social structure that is
central to him. The social structure of a person is often described as ‘the manner in which that
person provides his livelihood’.
The social role is the role that is most prominent in daily live and it characterizes our lifestyle.
Social values – stand for cultural aspect
Socio-economic status – position within the social structure.
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