Leisure Theory: Neulinger's Paradigm

Neulinger’s paradigm is a perspective based theory that separates leisure into two aspects, Perceived freedom, the ability to choose activities and intrinsic motivation, the acknowledgment that an activity is valued by what it gives a person. The leisure theory is then further divided into six stages or states of mind: Pure Leisure, Leisure-work, Leisure Job, Pure Work, Work-Job, and Pure Job. This theory very perspective based, it all depends on how a person views the activities of their life and the amount of enjoyment of they receive from their schedule. There are somethings that I noticed that were really similar between mine and Taylor’s, the student I’m comparing my chart to. I applied Neulinger’s paradigm is applied to my life in multiple ways and in my schedule. I labeled all of my

activities, class and free time with one of the six stages. I just didn’t feel as if any of my activities where a necessary external reward-driven non-leisure activity. When making the my schedule, I made sure to include the most obvious things that occupied most of time, classes. I entered all of my classes, that I attend everyday, every week. I then labeled them as pure work because I viewed them as an activity that wasn’t exactly leisure but still highly pleasurable. This contributes to one of the similarities between my chart and Taylor’s. Then I labeled completing my homework with pure-job because its a necessary activity and it’s purely external reward-driven. If I complete my homework, I then am rewarded with grades which then make it possible for me to get better which makes it purely external reward driven. We both labeled our classes as pure work.

I then added my extra circulars such as Habitat for Humanity meeting which I then labeled as work-job due to the fact of that its a really meaningful activity and makes me want to do it because it’s something that externally motivates me. Then I added leisure work for studying, laundry and free time because they are both internally and externally rewarding. Studying externally gives the rewards of grades and giving the idea that tests will go well but it also internally rewards because it creates the feeling of satisfaction and confidence in classes. Laundry gives internally and external rewards because the external reward is having clothes to wear and the internal reward is having the feeling that I actually have myself together. That I'm doing my laundry on my own which creates satisfaction. I completed my chart with the addition of pure leisure. Economically, since I live in a dorm, the cost of laundry is discounted and therefore a smaller toll on my IU bank account. I labeled watching television, hanging out with my friends and lunch as pure leisure. They are pure leisure because it’s an activity that is continuous and does not

vary. These activities such as television, hanging out with my friend and eating lunch aren’t anything that are received by any work. Watching television does use energy and electricity in order to do so. For lunch, if I or the people I’m with decide to go off campus to somewhere that doesn't accept meal plan points then I will have to spend out of my bank account. I do have two free blocks on Tuesday and Thursday because since my first class does not begin until one o’clock, it usually is filled with sleeping in. Neulinger’s paradigm is a theory that I applied to five-day schedule and I realize that I was able to apply all six-stages to my five-stage schedule.