Philosophy and Therapeutic Recreation

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As I make my way on this journey that is my life, I realize that I have always believed in the fundamental worth of all humanity and my responsibility as a fellow human being to respect this premise and also to support individuals, as much as I am able, to help unearth it should this basic truth become hidden to them. This is a guiding principle for me and I believe that many of the constructs of the field of Therapeutic Recreation (TR) are congruent with this philosophy. Making the decision to obtain a Therapeutic Recreation Specialization (TRS) degree offered a theoretical rationale in which to further explore the concept of leisure, define my professional philosophy and an opportunity to reflect critically on the field which I have chosen and my evolving role within it.
Defining Leisure
Perhaps one of the more perplexing conditions of offering leisure to all is choosing how I define it. Leisure, by modern standards, is commonly measured and understood in relation to freedom of choice, and time, especially time away from work (Kelly, 2009; Stebbins, 2006; Barrett, 1989). Reading, for example, only becomes a valued leisure choice when it is freely chosen or an “uncoerced behaviour” (Stebbins, 2004).
Sayers (1989) however argues it is contextual, ie, not merely freedom from work, but its import based in contrast to what we perceive as work; how then, do we help someone with little basis of comparison to define what leisure means to them ? The question becomes, do they need work to experience leisure? Sayers (1989) posits this to actually be the case; people not only need leisure, they need work in order to effectively value leisure; that is, without having the contrast of making a meaningful contribution to society or wor...

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...ation and Park Association.
O'Keefe, C. (2008, 03 28). Grounding the Therapeutic Recreation Process in an Ethic of Care . Retrieved from Therapeutic Recreation Directory: http://www.recreationtherapy.com
Sayers, S. (1989). Work, Leisure and Human Needs. In T. Winnifrith, & C. Barrett, The Philosophy of Leisure (pp. 34-53). London: MacMillan.
Kelly, J. (2009). Work and Leisure: A Simplified Paradigm . Journal of Leisure Research, 41(3), 439-451.
Snyder, C., & Lopez, S. J. (2003). Positive Psychological Assessment: A Handbook of Models and Measures. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Stebbins, R. (2006). Serious Leisure. In C. Rojek, S. M. Shaw, & A. Veal, A Handbook of Leisure Studies (pp. 448-456). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Stebbins, R. (2004). Between Work & Leisure: The Common Ground of Two Seperate Worlds. New Brunswick, N.J: Transaction.

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