Explore chapters and articles related to this topic
The middle years
Published in Julia Whitaker, Alison Tonkin, Play for Health Across the Lifespan, 2021
Numerous studies have shown that children engage in active, physical play when they perceive it to be enjoyable (e.g., Brockman et al. 2011). However, adults seem to lose their sense of joyful, physically active play and, in adulthood, physical activity tends to assume primarily functional purposes. Thiel et al. (2016: 14) make the point that ‘for adults fun and wellbeing appear to be not an essential part of their physical activity’ and suggest that reframing physical activity in the context of play and ‘fun’ may be a way to engage individuals in physical activity with all the associated benefits for holistic health, as shown in Figure 7.1. Corkhill (2014: loc 189) proposes that ‘people need to want to be active before you can succeed in getting them active mentally and physically, so a preliminary stage which stimulates interest, desire and motivation is crucial for successful involvement in managing health and wellbeing’.
Communication Strategies
Published in Amy J. Litterini, Christopher M. Wilson, Physical Activity and Rehabilitation in Life-threatening Illness, 2021
Christopher M. Wilson, Amy J. Litterini
Therapists are encouraged to emphasize creativity, flexibility, and fun into physical activity tasks. One example that may be useful is engaging in dynamic balance and weight shifting activities via a game “Red light, green light.” Many people played this game as a child, which leverages the individual’s long-term intrinsic memory, familiarity, and nostalgia. The participant stands at a distance from the game facilitator and awaits a verbal cue to start ambulation with a “green light” command. After ambulation is started, the facilitator then states “red light” which prompts immediate stopping of ambulation. This facilitates balance reactions, engagement of fast-twitch muscle fibers, and dynamic balance. As this may be a challenging, impulsive task, close guarding by another clinician and a gait belt are highly recommended.
Community as social ties
Published in S. Alexander Haslam, Psychological Insights for Understanding COVID-19 and Society, 2020
Carolyn Kagan, Mark Burton, Paul Duckett, Rebecca Lawthom, Asiya Siddiquee
Structures and processes must not be alienating. Participation that relies on writing, confidence in speaking in a group, involvement in formal meetings, the articulation of complex experiences and ideas, and so on may be alienating to those not used to such activities. On the other hand, participation that is linked to an activity or the development of more naturally occurring relationships might be more enabling. It is possible to make participation fun and stimulating so that the activities themselves can be positive experiences.
Surgery: an ideal profession
Published in Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings, 2023
Approximately 30 years ago, I read a an article by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a professor of human development in the Department of Psychology and Education at the University of Chicago, that explained how doctors are not having fun anymore. This was at the beginning of the managed care era. It was true that physicians were not experiencing the same enjoyment they did in the past, so I thought Csikszentmihalyi’s book—Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience3—would be interesting to read. The book addressed the issues raised by Maslow regarding self-fulfillment. Csikszentmihalyi recognized that everybody has autotelic goals, that is, goals and desires determined solely by themselves that are unique and define what they think is important. He recognized that behavior is influenced by genetic instincts, as well as culture and social values, but he believed that the most powerful influence on behavior is the feeling of enjoyment a particular activity induces. This feeling is a key factor in motivation. It determines the choices we make in our daily life encounters and allows us to prioritize actions according to our own experiences.
What activities individuals with intellectual disabilities do for fun: exploration into self-care
Published in International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 2022
Zachary J. Hankle, Dane C. Bluestone, Jennifer K. Kramer, Palak Bassi, Anthony J. Goreczny
Overall results from our study reveal engagement found through participant responses as fun activities align closely with activities that previous research has deemed as leisure activities (Brajša-Žganec et al.2011). Many of these activities discussed could lead to increased opportunities for autonomy and improved QOL. The activities recognized by participants as leisure and recreational activities are instrumental to their overall well-being according to the WHO’s model of QOL (2004). Implementing activities into routines may promote an improved QOL for individuals with ID and may help improve their self-care. According to Schellhammer (2020) and Ayala et al. (2017), multidimensional and creative activities can be contributors to one’s self-care when implemented intentionally. Future studies also need to explore what the term self-care means to individuals with ID. There needs to be future exploration on self-care for adolescents with disabilities (Lindsay et al.2013) on activities centered around being enjoyable in addition to focusing primarily on self-sufficiency (Tarazi et al.2007). When placing an emphasis on what individuals with ID enjoy doing for fun, we can begin to understand what activities individuals with ID may want to add into their daily routines. However, we need to move towards a future in which individuals with ID have opportunities to engage in activities they prefer.
Understanding Symbol Repetition in Art Therapy
Published in Art Therapy, 2021
Michelle Nuttall, Lise Pelletier
In the sandtray scenarios and through his muse of choice for 11 masks, Philip was expressing his psychological quest for an all-powerful being capable of saving sick children. As previously stated, SuperVegan repaired broken toys and returned them whole to children. Similarly, as an art therapist in training I proposed activities that were fun and aimed healing to Philip and other children on his unit, enabling them to forget their illnesses and limitations, even if only temporarily. When Philip chose his activity in the art therapy room, time stood still. He played and created at his own pace doing everything he could do by himself with a patient, supportive adult at his side. I can only wonder if he granted me superhero capabilities. What seems to be true is that during these art therapy sessions, Philip could experience himself as a whole, intact, competent person.