Content area
Full Text
The Leisure Ability Model is one of the oldest, most widely used, and most often critiqued therapeutic recreation practice models. It is based on the concepts of internal locus of control, intrinsic motivation, personal causality, freedom of choice, and flow. The Leisure Ability Model uses these ideas as the basis for three components of service: treatment, leisure education, and recreation participation. These three areas of service supply the content for creating, developing, implementing, and evaluating therapeutic recreation programs that are based on client need. The overall intended outcome of therapeutic recreation services, as defined by the Leisure Ability Model, is a satisfying, independent, and freely chosen leisure lifestyle. Included in this review are noted strengths, weaknesses, and directions for future development.
KEY WORDS: Leisure Ability Model, Leisure Lifestyle, Therapeutic Recreation Concepts
The Leisure Ability Model
The Leisure Ability Model (Peterson & Gunn, 1984) is one of the oldest, most widely used, and yet most widely debated conceptual models of therapeutic recreation service delivery. Peterson (1989) outlined the major reason that the Leisure Ability Model has received such extensive debate. In a time when many therapeutic recreation professionals want to cling strongly to a more medical or "therapy" model of services, the Leisure Ability Model represents a strong "leisure" orientation. Peterson (1989) outlined the two options:
The leisure orientation implies that the ultimate outcome or guiding set of beliefs is related to leisure behavior, and the orientation draws on the existing body of knowledge related to leisure as its source and foundation. The therapy orientation, on the other hand, indicates change or improvement of functional behaviors as the desired end and draws from the medical, psychiatric, psychological, and human development body of knowledge. (p. 28)
In other words, the Leisure Ability Model was constructed with the belief that the end product of therapeutic recreation services for clients was improved independent and satisfying leisure functioning, also referred to as a "leisure lifestyle" (Peterson, 1981, 1989; Peterson & Gunn, 1984).
Leisure lifestyle is the day-to-day behavioral expression of one's leisure related attitudes, awareness, and activities revealed within the context and composite of the total life experience. (Peterson & Gunn, p. 4)
Leisure lifestyle implies that an individual has sufficient skills, knowledge, attitudes, and abilities to participate...