Individual differences in leisure satisfactions: an investigation of four theories of leisure motivation

The applicability of several theories of leisure motivation to a range of 36 activities typically undertaken by younger people has been investigated. The theories were Csikzentmihalyi's theory of flow (theory 1), Bandura's theory of self-efficacy (theory 2), Apter's theory of telic and paratelic activity (theory 3) and a general theory of social motivation (theory 4). Participants were 183 young men and women in secondary and tertiary education who completed self-report questionnaires containing scales for the frequency, enjoyment, purpose, social satisfaction, skill, ability and challenge which they associated with activities they had personally experienced. The balance between skill and challenge implied by theory 1 was found to be characteristic of all activities, whether or not they could be expected to generate flow. The data collected in the study provided little support for theory 2. It was possible to distinguish telic and paratelic activities according to theory 3 and to show that the latter were more enjoyable and less purposive. Although theory 4 was not relevant to solitary activities, it was still the most generally applicable and even appeared to account for most of the enjoyment derived from highly purposive activities, which were not otherwise greatly enjoyed.