1st Edition

Between Work and Leisure The Common Ground of Two Separate Worlds

By Robert A. Stebbins Copyright 2004
    165 Pages
    by Routledge

    153 Pages
    by Routledge

    Between Work and Leisure aims to debunk the prevailing myth that work and leisure are separate and mutually antagonistic spheres of life. Stebbins shows that a close relationship between leisure and work is positive, offering people the possibility of finding joy in work just as they do in leisure.

    Occupational devotion, as Stebbins defines it, is a strong and positive attachment to a form of self-enhancing work, where the sense of achievement is high and the core activity, or set of tasks, is endowed with such intense appeal that the line between work and leisure is virtually erased. This volume examines conditions that attract people to their work in this profound way, and the many exceptional values and intrinsic rewards they realize there.

    Stebbins frames occupational devotion in four broad social contexts—history, religion, work, and leisure—and then considers the further subdivisions of gender, social class, and social character. The heart of the book uses research findings on leisure to develop a powerful critique of those who describe deeply felt commitment to work as "workaholic" behavior. He also examines what happens when money becomes a dominant factor in work and the social implications of the compatibility of work and serious leisure using exploratory research to identify their shared motivational factors.

    Preface

    Acknowledgements

    1. Occupational Devotion and Occupational Devotees
    2. Protestant Ethic, Work Ethic, and Occupational Devotion
    3. Gender, Family, Social Class, and Social Character
    4. Serious Leisure
    5. Erasing the Line between Work and Leisure
    6. Work, Leisure, and Money in Everyday Life
    7. Common Ground in Separate Worlds: Some Implications

    References

    Index

    Biography

    Robert A. Stebbins