Flight from leisure: A neglected phenomenon in leisure studies

Family caregivers’ leisure nonparticipation is usually considered to be a passive reaction to constraints on leisure rather than active abstention from its pursuit due to problems that the leisure experience itself can evoke. This position, dominating leisure nonparticipation studies in general, is critically examined through a study on elderly spousal caregivers. The research findings indicated that (a) the caregivers perceived leisure as threatening and thus held negative attitudes toward it, (b) they consequently fled from leisure even when it was available to them, and (c) their flight from leisure, amounting to total abstention from its pursuit, was revealed to be a means of coping with the hardships resulting from their spouses’ illness. In light of these findings, the authors question the validity of two basic assumptions prevalent in leisure research—namely, that leisure is beneficial and that people are leisure seekers. The analysis calls for a reexamination of the commonly held view that leisure non‐participation is a problem invariably necessitating treatment.