Final OLP

 

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The Earth is a complex environment that relies on all parts of the ecosystem to survive and thrive in the long term, yet, if one component were to be taken out, depending on importance and impact, the ecosystem could either adapt or crumble. One of the most basic organisms in this vast ecosystem is the ant. Ants arose more than 168 million years ago and today they are a large part of terrestrial ecosystems across the world. Ants have survived a long time yet have not evolved as much compared to other organisms, thus exemplifying that their process has been working for millions of years and there is no need to change it. But what is behind their success? The ability to socialize. Like humans who build vast cities, ants are social creatures which form colonies that range from small structures to one’s large enough to contain millions of ants.

Humans and ants are biologically different in the sense that humans are much more complex organisms with a higher consciousness, however, the processes and organizational structures that ants use to achieve success and longevity are similar to humans.

How on Earth could ants possibly be connected to organization and administration? Let me explain…

Business Structures

All organizations have a specific structure with various department placements designed for an overall theme in mind. Furthermore, there are centralized (decision making is from the top down) and decentralized (may have a variety of levels with ability to make decisions) business structures. Each position within the structure holds a certain level of power.

In contrast, ant colonies operate without central control and utilize simple interactions to function; no ant gives directions or instructions to another. Similarly, human brains are the same; no neuron tells another what to think about. Brain cells interact by bumping each other and by making chemical and electrical connections and them using electrical stimuli to decide whether to fire or not. In comparison, ants interact by means of smell; when one ant smells another with its antennae, it can use the interaction to decide what to do. There is no hierarchy and all the ants have specific functions to perform from birth. There are three kinds of ants in a colony which all have different functions:

• Queen(s)- Lay as many eggs as possible
• Males- Provide sperm for the queen(s)
• Workers- Defending the colony, taking care of the larvae and pupae, gathering food for the colony and building the anthills or mounds

These ants function together to create a whole “superorganism”, just as organizations have different departments with specific functions that work as a unit.

Management Theories

Just as interactions between individual ants with specific tasks are geared towards the common purpose of survival, growth, and reproduction of a colony, organizations are regulated by interactions between different departments with specific objectives and goals that all work towards a similar mission, vision, and philosophy.

 

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Organizational Structure/Strategic Planning

Organizations can have hierarchical and nonhierarchical structures. Hierarchies have tasks assigned to specific positions, workload distributed through job assignments, supervisors that are assigned to specific employees for supervision and power/authority assigned to positions. Nonhierarchical structures work in teams comprised of experts; ant colonies would align most with the latter.

Furthermore, Organizations can utilize different kinds of planning. For example, there is strategic planning, which guides an agency’s strategies, directions, decisions, and allocation of resources. Then there are master plans, which are long term and cover all-encompassing needs of an organization. Finally, there are business plans, which are considered a blueprint for the successful operation of a new venture by providing data that guide business decisions and attract investors.

Remarkably, without a blueprint or a leader, thousands of ants can work as a team to move specks of dirt in order to create a complex, sponge-like structure with parallel levels connected by a network of tunnels. Some ant species even build living structures out of their bodies: Army ants and fire ants in Central and South America assemble themselves into bridges that smooth their path on foraging expeditions, and certain types of fire ants cluster into makeshift rafts to escape floods. Below are a few videos showing the amazing structures that ants can create with teamwork:

Problem Solving

I had an idea to write about for this post, but then I changed my mind because, based on the grading rubric, I realized it might not be the best way to go about writing my final OLP. I think that simple thought process is similar to what Organization and Administration in Leisure Studies is all about, yet on a much larger scale; organizations across the world use a similar process of viewing a situation from a different perspective in order to analyze a problem, create a plan for the situation and implement that plan, then evaluate the situation all over again.

 

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This process, known as the problem-solving model, has arguably become an innate and necessary function for entities to function properly in the organization and administration industry. I emphasized arguably because it is possible for an organization to function without some type of assessment process, however, they do not typically function successfully in the long term.

In comparison, ants have survived for millions of years without a specific assessment process, however, they do have innate biological techniques that allow them to function successfully. The video below goes into detail about how ants interact and how that has spilled over into ideas for human systems.

Financial Management & Budgeting 

Organizations use an operating budget (day-to-day) and a capital budget (long-term) to function proficiently and manage resources. They use a simple calculation of revenues (income) and expenditures (costs) to determine a budget. Organizations can use many pricing strategies and budgets depending on their desired outcomes.

This excerpt from an article (in work cited) explains well how ants utilize resources to budget:

“How ants deal with operating costs

One important constraint is operating costs. An example is the analogy we call “Anternet”, between the way that desert ants regulate foraging, and TCP-IP, a transmission control protocol that regulates data traffic in the internet.

Both use feedback to deal with high operating costs. Desert harvester ants have to spend water, lost when foraging in the hot sun, to get water, which they metabolize out of the seeds they collect. In the early days of the internet, operating costs were so high that it was not worthwhile to send out data if bandwidth was not available. In both systems, interaction networks avoid extra expenditure – of data transmission, or water – by staying inactive unless something positive happens. A forager does not go out unless it experiences enough interactions with ants that have found food. A data packet does not go out unless returning “acks” (acknowledgements) show that previous data packets had the bandwidth to move on.

By contrast, in the tropical forest, operating costs are low for ants. One species that lives in trees sets up circuits of ants flowing constantly from nest to nest and to food sources, in both directions. Because ants are so abundant and diverse, competition is high. Many species use resources that are also used by others. Interactions are used to generate negative feedback. The system keeps going unless something negative happens. A forager continues along the circuit unless it meets an ant of another species, in which case it is more likely to go back to the nest. An analogy with an engineered system may be a fibre-optics network that continually transmits data unless there is an interruption or a security system that denies access only when a threshold level of incursion is reached.”

 

Courtesy of Google Images

 

 

Ethics/Risk Management/ Policy & Procedures

Ethics, risk management, and policies & procedures are the backbone of a company. Ethics are important because they are organizationally set standards, behaviors, and principles that guide behavior. Risk management is important because it protects an entity and everything encompassing it. The process of identifying and managing risks that cause injury or damage to people or property and then developing a risk management plan and evaluating that plan are the key elements of proper risk management. Finally, policies and procedures provide direction for the company, reassure that employees are treated fairly and provided standardized response to situations, and provide managers confidence and defenses for their decisions.

While unethical behavior is (hopefully) punished within administration, in the ant world it is considered necessary for survival. Ants do not have consciousness and therefore, cannot make ethical decisions; Ant behavior is mostly guided by survival and the way they react (policies and procedures) are innately wired within them. For example, ants may prey on much larger animals such as reptiles, birds, or even small mammals. Furthermore, in a colony, the ants are expendable for specific purposes; After the male ant mates with the queen it will die. While ants do not specifically have a hierarchy, they do protect the queen and larvae to ensure survival of the colony by strategically placing them in areas hard to reach by predators. They also have a cool survival tactic to reduce risk for the greater good; when they die they release pheromones that signal to other ants not to come around that area. Furthermore, when being attacked they release pheromones to signal the other ants to attack, which could be considered the ant version of identifying a risk and implementing a plan. Ants also can identify who is in which colony by smell, thus creating a type of security system. How quickly ants shift what they identify as an intruder, determines how quickly the whole system can adjust its security.

 

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The End

In conclusion, while ants may be little and on the surface seem to have nothing to do with organizations and administration, once we dig deeper into the root of the colony we can learn a lot from them. They encompass a vast majority of the planet and some colonies are comprised of millions of ants with specific tasks that all work together as a superorganism. Those that work together can accomplish great feats. An organization thrives on interaction at all levels and partnerships give opportunities for vast expansion. Here is an awesome video that shows the largest ant colony excavation recorded:

I have approached the end of the semester and the end of this class. I am worn out and a little anxious about the opportunities that lie ahead. I have learned so much over the past semester. I came into this class knowing nothing about organization and administration within the leisure industry. I soaked everything up in the beginning and did my best to try to understand it all. The trouble was that I haven’t held any administration job positions and barely worked in traditional job settings. The use of the OLPs helped me integrate my learning into applicable concepts. I appreciate how Dr. McKenzie could relate all of the topics to everyone’s specific majors. I also found that I could communicate ideas on higher levels of thinking than I had previously been able to. I plan to use all the information I have learned from this class to help with my future endeavors. This summer, I will be working at a camp for children with disabilities. I will be trained in adaptive high and low ropes courses, as well as rock climbing and zip lining. I have done the activities, but never taught them so it will great field work for enhancing my teaching skills. The camp is staffed with people from all over the world so I know it will be diverse and interesting. I have never worked at a camp before so it will be a new experience. I am a bit nervous, but more confident knowing that I have the knowledge base and skills needed to learn and adapt to new environments. I think it will be a tangible test of my knowledge and a great opportunity to apply things I have learned from the class, such as how to recognize someone’s management style. I have also been asked to be the President for the McNair Scholars Alumni Association at OSU for next year. McNair is close to my heart and I am honored to be asked to take on such a high position. I will be in charge of many administrative tasks, coordinating people, planning events, and providing communication between OSU and the Association. I will work with the rest of the committee to keep the McNair program running and it will be a real test of everything I have learned in this class. I plan to use the book materials and this blog to brush up on things in case I forget. Everything I have learned is applicable to becoming a future CTRS and I am excited to see how I learn and grow as a professional in the future!

Work Cited:

Ant Colony | ASU – Ask A Biologist. (2016). Askabiologist.asu.edu. Retrieved 5 May 2016, from https://askabiologist.asu.edu/explore/secrets-superorganism

Ants. (2016). Mcwdn.org. Retrieved 5 May 2016, from http://www.mcwdn.org/Animals/Ants.html

charity, O. (2016). Amazing facts about ants | OneKind. Onekind.org. Retrieved 5 May 2016, from http://www.onekind.org/education/animals_a_z/ant/

Google Images. (2016). Images.google.com. Retrieved 5 May 2016, from https://images.google.com/

The Remarkable Self-Organization of Ants | Quanta Magazine. (2014). Quantamagazine.org. Retrieved 5 May 2016, from https://www.quantamagazine.org/20140409-the-remarkable-self-organization-of-ants/

Two lessons from ant colony organization. (2016). World Economic Forum. Retrieved 5 May 2016, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/two-lessons-from-ant-colony-organization/

Your browser is deprecated. Please upgrade. – YouTube. (2016). Youtube.com. Retrieved 5 May 2016, from http://Youtube.com

Dr.McKenzie’s Powerpoints

I NEED IT

 

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As I was drinking my morning coffee I started to wonder if it is actually a need. I would perceive it as a need to wake up as I am a little addicted. Others would perceive it as a need for their personal wellbeing, however, on the most basic level, it is not considered a need. So how do java and needs tie into organization and administration in leisure services? The simple answer is that needs drive where consumers spend their money, energy, and time. However, the more complicated answer is that there is a multitude of needs that relate to leisure services.

So what is a need?

A need is a perceived or innate desire. It all boils down to biological needs, interests, wants, and intentions. The owl photo bellow will illustrate the four different levels

 

Courtesy of Google Images

 

Level 1. Decaf – Decaf has no extra stimulation and is in basic form. This is what you grab when you enjoy the basic taste of coffee. In comparison, innate biological needs are considered basic because they are things such as water, sleep, food, and shelter.

Level 2. Half-caf – This is what people get when they know what they want. Some people might be interested in coffee and want a little perk up in the morning, but they might also know that too much will make them jittery so they grab a half-caf. Basically, they know themselves. This is similar to interests because people intrinsically know what they want when they are interested in something and they express that.

Level 3. Regular – These are the regular Joe’s.  They go with the flow and take the most common and quick coffee they can get because they have to drive to work. In comparison, wants are derived from emotional and mental drives and also influenced by society and culture. Just as regular Joe’s go with the flow, people’s wants can be influenced by intrinsic or extrinsic factors.

Level 4. Espresso – This level is for the addicts such as myself. I intentionally get espresso when I know it’s going to be a long day or I need an extra jolt of energy. When I order, baristas ask if I am SURE I want three shots of espresso. What kind of question is that? I intentionally asked for it. In comparison to intentions in the leisure context, having intention is the commitment to satisfy wants under certain conditions. For example, one might participate in soccer if it fits in their time schedule, is a reasonable price, and is located nearby. Furthermore, because of my perceived need for coffee, I spend my money on it as well as my energy and time to obtain it.

Additionally, needs can be driven based on objective and comparative standards, felt through interests, wants, and intentions, and expressed through actual participation.

Need is an outlet for recreation. This means that people can obtain their needs through leisure services. Furthermore, needs are important to know because they drive participation and influence personal choice. Leisure professionals should want to know about needs because personal choice greatly influences leisure involvement.

So who determines the needs of the people? The human body, society, individuals, and marketing. Simple enough right? we know that the human body requires satisfaction of innate needs, that society can influence trends and desires, and that individuals have felt through interests, wants, and intentions that drive their perceived needs. However, marketing which influences consumer desire is a totally different cup of tea. Enter a nascent but fast-growing field called neuromarketing, which uses brain-tracking tools to determine why we prefer some products over others. Not my cup of joe. It is a more complicated and diverse area that would require personal knowledge that I simply do not have, and another blog post to explain. If you want to learn more, here is a link about research over the topic backed up by Harvard.

In conclusion, we learned what needs are, how they relate to leisure, and how they are driven. Now that I am fully awake thanks to wonderful coffee, it is time to go and get life done for today.

 

Courtesy of Google Images

 

References:

Dr. McKenzie’s powerpoint over Marketing.

Nobel, C. (2012). What Neuroscience Tells Us About Consumer Desire. HBS Working Knowledge. Retrieved 1 April 2016, from http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/what-neuroscience-tells-us-about-consumer-desire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Human Resource Management

 

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Personally, this week has been filled with venturing out of my comfort zone and adjusting to chaos. I suppose I might as well let that that flow into my blog. I am going to tackle the topic of human resource (HR) management and how it relates to recreational therapy (RT). I am not an expert in this area, but let’s give it a shot.

What is HR?

In short, Human Resources is an umbrella term for a collection of functions that assists an organization to deliver value to its employees, contractors, and agency staff (“What is HR? | Human Resources Explained”, 2014).

The video bellow shows all the things that HR prohibits

Now that you know what HR does not do, it will give you a better understanding of the following topics about what HR really does.

 

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Each HR department varies depending on the type of entity and the specific needs, visions, and goals of that entity. However, the general functions of HR include:

• Position analysis and classification
• Recruitment, selection, and orientation
• Assignments, appraisal, and promotion
• Legal questions
• Compensation
• Disciplinary action & grievances
• In-service training

We have discussed all of the topics above in class, however, I would like to take it a step further and pose this question: “How does HR evolve with newer generations?”

Things are constantly changing in today’s technological society because the younger generations want things to be more accessible, quick, and user-friendly; as a result, management is brought to a higher level because entities must adapt to stay competitive. We see this with many restaurants bringing in healthier food options because the demand is there. Although the word is in a constant state of change, it has been implied that traditional HR departments are rigid and set in old ways (Bader, 2015). The HR department is seen by many as “a dark bureaucratic force that blindly enforces nonsensical rules, resists creativity, and impedes constructive change” (Bader, 2015).  Some companies, such as those based on classical management style, might benefit from keeping traditional HR departments. However, often times, HR departments are resistive to change because their system has worked for so long, so why teach an old dog new tricks?

For companies that are trying to change, whether to become better corporate citizens or simply more successful, a smart and flexible HR department is crucial, especially with a majority of the workforce (baby boomers) retiring (Bader, 2015). In the management world, an example would be comparing Google to a traditional company. Google does a great job of being innovative and productive because they utilize their HR department in order to attract innovative and creative people for jobs. Bringing in those bright people who will help a business change course for the better is a key role of human resources. Other ways for HR to revamp could be recruiting a diverse and sustainably-minded workforce and empowering them to do better, as well as using an “Unconscious bias” (Bader, 2015). Google utilizes the unconscious bias by helping their employees identify their subconscious deeply-held perceptions and identify ways to counter them, thus resulting in employee education and recognition and paving the way for a more collaborative environment between employees because they can respect and put aside biases. This unconscious bias trickles into almost all areas of life, and if unchecked, it ignites a world of chaos and misunderstanding, which leads to barriers and less collaboration; this is why change within HR is crucial.

Given this country’s racial and gender disparities, it is all too clear that every single part of society—companies and their HR departments included—must do everything they can to tackle injustice and inequality. Fighting bias, conscious or unconscious, might be the best thing that HR can do for any individual employee and company, and society more broadly (Bader, 2015).

So how does relate to recreational therapy?

Recreational therapy is built upon a holistic framework and originated due to a shift amongst health professions; instead of focusing on identifying diseases and treating symptoms, professionals are shifting to focusing on strengths and ways to improve symptoms. Recreational therapists view patients as people with diagnoses, not the other way around. RT identifies the vast individuality amongst people and the need for tailored planning to adapt to those needs. RT is universally inclusive and believes that anyone should be able to participate in recreational activities. We treat people from a holistic view point, which takes into consideration all domains of an individual’s life. RT breaks down barriers, which is critical for a world in constant change.

In conclusion, while HR is often viewed as a necessary evil, it does not mean it has to stay stagnant. However, adaption creates opportunities for new and creative ways of thinking, which can lead to innovative collaboration. Because every entity and every employee within an entity is different, why keep the same cookie cutter approach to HR? Are there strengths in traditional HR management? Is it feasible to recognize and change a seemingly universal unconscious bias?

References

Bader, C. (2015). To Do Good in the World, Get a Better HR Department. The Atlantic. Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/05/-the-importance-of-a-good-human-resources-department/392969/

Curtis Clemens PowerPoint Presentation: CC HR Employee Management

What is HR? | Human Resources Explained. (2014). Humanresourcesexplained.com. Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://www.humanresourcesexplained.com/what-is-hr-2/

YouTube. (2016). Youtube.com. Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://youtube.com

OLP #3

 

Courtesy of (Tax Credits, 2016)

 

 

I have always been a penny-pincher, however, I suppose college and graduate school have influenced me to stay crafty with my money. I love coupons, free stuff, free food, thrift shopping, DIY crafting, and free recreational activities. Although I am a fan of free things, I found that free doesn’t always equal fantastic. The topic that got my mind buzzing over the past few class sessions was when Dr. McKenzie explained that more people go to paid events instead of free ones. This was the complete opposite of what I had thought! The psychology behind it is quite interesting. I learned that the choice of going to a free vs. paid event is influenced by subjective value assignment, evolution, and investment.

Humans constantly place value on things, jobs, experiences, relationships, and memories, and they rank them according to subjective value (Reiser, 2014). Additionally, all humans have 24 hours per day and get to decide how to spend it. The old saying, “time is money,” which was coined by Benjamin Franklin, still rings true today. When organizing life events, people must rank their values and assign time slots for those events. Therefore, it can be assumed that people will make time for things they value, especially when choosing recreational or leisure activities. Additionally, people are more likely to consume a product or attend an event if they are aware of its cost. This is known as the sunk-cost effect: “Consumers feel compelled to use products they’ve paid for to avoid feeling that they’ve wasted their money”(Gourville & Soman, 2002).

Here is an example of the sunk-cost effect:

It’s well documented that consumers routinely consider sunk costs when deciding future courses of action. Hal Arkes, a psychologist at Ohio University, asked 61 college students to assume that, by mistake, they’d purchased tickets for a $50 and a $100 ski trip for the same weekend. The students were informed they’d have much more fun on the $50 trip. They were then told they had to choose between the two trips and let the other ticket go to waste. Amazingly, more than half the students reported that they would go on the less enjoyable $100 trip. For those students, the larger sunk cost mattered more than the greater enjoyment they’d get out of the less expensive trip. (Gourville & Soman, 2002)

The more time and effort one puts into something, the more likely they will continue their investment efforts; not losing becomes more important than gaining. In other words, “the potential dissonance of accepting that we made a mistake acts to keep us in blind hope” (Akers & Blumer, 1985). This concept is a deeply rooted process that developed as a means of survival. The video explains more in depth bellow.

(DNews, 2014)

This applies to more than just money; it applies to almost everything. If you have time and want to learn about how other human biases affect various decisions we make click here.

So how does human nature affect the leisure professions?

Let’s start with a definition of what leisure is:

Leisure, then, is a block of unoccupied time, spare time, or free time when we are free to rest or do what we choose. Leisure is time beyond that which is required for existence, the things which we must do, biologically, to stay, alive (that is, eat, sleep, eliminate, medicate, and so on): and subsistence, the things we must do to make a living as in work, or prepare to make a living as in school, or pay for what we want done if we do not do it ourselves. Leisure is time in which our feelings of compulsion should be minimal. It is discretionary time, the time to be used according to our own judgment or choice. (Brightbill, 1963)

As a future CTRS, I need to keep in mind that people are more likely to participate in a leisure activity that they subjectively judge as valuable. Therefore, I should provide an array of options for the client to choose from that meet the desired goals and outcomes for the client. Additionally, it would be beneficial to charge for my services based on the research supporting that human nature influences individuals to value something that costs more over something that is free. Ideally, my patient will be more likely to come to appointments that they have to pay for because they assign a higher value to the clinical service and also feel that they have invested in the experience.

How does human nature effect organizations and administrations within leisure studies?

It depends on the specific entity, their target audience, and the goal they want to achieve. Let’s start with a scenario: The YMCA wants to organize community events, and they want to reach as many people as possible over the year to provide a quality experience. What should they do and why? How to go about achieving this goal depends on many factors, including consumption, cost, timing, and pricing.

For example, psychology research proves that consumption leads to higher sales because customers are more likely to support a service that they use regularly (Gourville & Soman, 2002). For the YMCA, yearly memberships are crucial to consumption because YMCA members who go frequently will be more likely to attend the organized community events. Additionally, the sunk-cost-effect discussed earlier makes an impact on event attendance (Gourville & Soman, 2002). Therefore, the YMCA should offer higher costs of services (yearly memberships) compared to entities of the same level in order to compel their consumers to use their services.

The timing of pricing is also important when it comes to participation. Psychology research shows that payments which occur at or near the time of consumption increase attention to a product’s cost, boosting the likelihood of its consumption (Gourville & Soman, 2002). The YMCA has addressed this concept by making payments due monthly (Ymcaokc.org, 2016). However, they also make payments through Electronic Funds Transfer, which automatically takes out a payment from the customer’s bank account per month (Ymcaokc.org, 2016). This is mainly done because organizations want to be guaranteed the money. However, the trouble with this pricing method is that psychology research proves that advanced pricing tactics “mask rather than highlight prices and reduce pressure on buyers to use the product in order to get their money’s worth” (Gourville & Soman, 2002).

Additionally, people are more likely to remember the cost of products if they pay with cash compared to credit cards (Gourville & Soman, 2002). Therefore, it would be more beneficial for the YMCA to introduce a pay-as-you-go option for consumers. Of course, this is risky because the company is not guaranteed the money, and also causes an inconvenience for consumers, but research backs up the idea and shows it will increase participation and future consumers (Gourville & Soman, 2002).

In conclusion, the process of planning an event has a myriad of factors to consider. There are more concepts and human biases to be aware of when planning events, however, I chose to focus on a select few because it relates to what we discussed in class.

References

Arkes, H. and Blumer, C (1985) The Psychology of Sunk Cost. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes 35, 124-140

Brightbill, C. (1963). The challenge of leisure (p.4). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.

DNews. (2014). 3 Dumb Ways Your Brain Sabotages You. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnGNIyEubRE

Gourville, J., & Soman, D. (2002). Pricing and the Psychology of Consumption. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved 26 February 2016, from https://hbr.org/2002/09/pricing-and-the-psychology-of-consumption

Reiser, S. (2014). To charge or not to charge? The psychology of free vs. paid events – Shane Reiser. Shane Reiser. Retrieved 26 February 2016, from http://shanereiser.com/to-charge-or-not-to-charge-the-psychology-of-free-vs-paid-events/

Tax Credits. (2016). Time is Money. Retrieved from http://taxcredits.net

Ymcaokc.org. (2016). Join | YMCA. Retrieved 26 February 2016, from http://ymcaokc.org/join

 

OLP #2

 

Courtesy of: Google Images

When talking about problem-solving in class, I wondered “what is the best way to solve a problem?”

For many problems, I make pro and con lists and make choices based off of facts and logic. For interpersonal decisions, I usually decide with my “gut instinct” and sometimes base my decision off of my emotions. While those techniques have both strengths and weaknesses within the realms of daily choices or interpersonal connection, they are not the best when problem-solving in the professional world. However, while learning about the multiple ways that problem-solving and professional decisions are made within organizations, I noticed some parallels between the professional techniques and recreational therapy (RT) as a profession.

The basic method for problem-solving is the “Problem Solving Model,” which sets a standard for systematic problem solving.

Courtesy of: Google Images

Within RT, the process most similar to the above would be the APIE process (Bloomington, 2016) shown below:

Courtesy of: Google Images

 

I will explain how these two models parallel to each other.

1. Assessment – the first part of the problem-solving model is the assessment. In the professional world, one of the most basic ways to assess a problem is to use a S.W.O.T. analysis:

                  S- Strengths department of organization

                      W- Weakness department of organization

O- Opportunities

T- Threats

Courtesy of: Google Images

Assessment of client’s needs would be used within the RT profession, meaning that the therapist would assess the strengths and weaknesses of the patient in the 5 domains (physical, psychosocial, emotional, cognitive, and leisure) as well as identify the opportunities and resources available to the patient, while keeping in mind the patient’s limitations or contraindications.

2. Problem Analysis – This step is used to identify and understand the problem. In the professional world, an organization would identify how many problems there are and prioritize them based on urgency, and then they would select a problem to analyze in depth to gain more information. Within the RT profession, the therapist would use the assessment, patient’s chart, as well as subjective and objective information to identify the most pertinent problem(s).
3. Generate and Analyze Possible Solutions – This step will generate and then prioritize possible solutions for the identified problem(s), and select a solution by means of a PMI analysis (plus, minus, interesting). Within RT, this would mean identifying goals and objectives, as well as strategies based off of evidence-based practice with the holistic individual needs of the client in mind. Essentially, it is getting a game plan together.
4. Implement Change/Solutions – During this step, the professional organization would plan and implement the selected solution. For RT this would mean implementing the chosen intervention for the patient.
5. Evaluation and Monitor – Within in the professional organization, the solution will be evaluated to decide if it was a failure or success and how it will be monitored. It must be measurable and include a date. Within RT this means that the therapist would assess whether the client met the goals and objectives, as well as get their subjective response to the intervention.

Using a standard problem-solving model is important for my future professional career as a Certified Recreational Therapist Specialist (CTRS) because I must uphold the standards of practice that makes RT a professional allied health field. If I were to stray from the NCTRC set standards, then I would endanger my clients by not providing the best clinically based interventions possible or the best assessments available. This made me wonder if the APIE process is the best available? Surely that is not true. In the future, I might be able to create a new problem-solving model specific to RT, but based off of the APIE process. For example, one of the weaknesses that I have identified in the APIE process is that when using it in a hospital setting, it is often hard to evaluate the intervention as patients do not have much time in the hospital. Therefore, maybe an outpatient evaluation could be used? One of the strengths to using the APIE process in a hospital that is that the assessment process is quicker upon intake. Another strength of the APIE process is that the assessment portion is broad enough that it allows use in different settings. However, this process is highly individualized, which doesn’t leave room for group dynamics; for example, RT interventions in a psych unit often involve group activities to influence the individual. Another down fall is that the APIE process doesn’t include set assessments or evaluations, which leads to variations in the profession. While this is beneficial for different settings and organizations, as well as personal preference, it does not help with the lack of uniformity as far as evidence-based practice in the profession. I think it would be beneficial to make separate APIE processes with specific assessments and evaluations depending on the therapist’s chosen setting. That is all for this week.

Works Cited:

Dr. McKenzie’s Powerpoint on “Decision Making and Problem Solving”

Bloomington, I. (2016). APIE Process | Bradford Woods. Bradwoods.org. Retrieved 17 February 2016, from https://www.bradwoods.org/program-areas-2/recreation-therapy/apie-process/

My Brain

Google Images

 

Being a Cool Cucumber

OLP #1

Image courtesy of Google Images

We talked about many things over the past week, including an entities’ mission, vision, and philosophy as well as organizational structure and theories of management. The topic that stood out the most to me this week was the No-Doze leadership styles. The four quadrants depicted bellow represent key aspects needed in leadership and functional groups. Leaders come from all quadrants.

 

After doing the exercise, I found that I most identify with the driver, however, I also have many traits of an analyst. I would argue that everyone bounces between styles depending on the situation and their individual level of maturity. For example, a few years ago I would have identified solely with the analyst, mainly because of my introverted nature. I would always sit back and analyze situations before I contributed to a group, however, when I did say something it was a great idea. Furthermore, I would be slow at making decisions because I would constantly analyze the pros and cons of every decision. I am still indecisive, but when I make a decision I am sure of my decision. I actually despise being indecisive, but because of my analyst tendencies, I am often stuck. In that aspect, I find that I am more of a driver because indecisiveness drives me crazy. It is a double-edged sword that would often lead to procrastination, however, with maturity I have learned to balance it better. Additionally, as an analyst, I would often set unrealistic goals, but I have learned to adjust that. Over the past few years, I have learned driver leadership skills, such as developing short and long-term goals, keeping a calm composure, being direct, and making things happen.

The positive of having both is that I can analyze a situation from all angles (analyst) while also providing a perspective that no one else had thought of (driver). I believe that this combination will provide me with a unique skill set and leadership style in the recreational therapy (RT) profession. For example, being able to analyze multiple aspects is important in RT because we treat patients holistically. Furthermore, it is important to look at all of the facts first before making a plan of treatment. If I was solely a driver, then I would most likely overlook critical bits of information. Being a driver means that I can create short-term and long-term treatment goals for the patient. I can also keep a calm composure and help my patient stay grounded; for example, I would take a patient with burn scars into a situation of a community integration outing in order to help them adjust, desensitize their fears, and build self-confidence. Furthermore, it is important to be direct and provide structure to the patient so they know what is expected out of them. Additionally, I can lead a group or individual effectively and get things done, which leads to overall productivity.

Why does knowing your leadership style matter?

Knowing your leadership style, as well as the strengths and weaknesses that come along with them helps you to be more aware of what you bring to the table and where you fit best into the world. For example, because of my analytic side, I am good at figuring out the strengths and weakness of people, and I can also see their potential. In the RT setting, this is beneficial because allied health is switching over to a more holistic approach based off of positive psychology. Positive psychology is defined as “the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive.” The field is founded on the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play. Recreational therapy is founded on similar beliefs related to positive psychology; the positive psychology movement focuses on overall well-being, similar to the profession of recreational therapy (RT), which is based on a holistic framework of treating the “whole person.” A recreational therapist utilizes a wide range of interventions and techniques to improve the physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and leisure needs of their clients. Furthermore, “leisure is a key life domain and a core ingredient for overall well-being.” Therefore, recreational therapists are key to the allied health profession. Knowing my strengths will help me in the future to utilities them in order to fit into the treatment team effectively and to provide the best therapeutic interventions tailored to the individual strengths, weaknesses, and needs of my patients.

Works Cited

Harvardfop.github.io,. (2016). No-Doze Leadership Styles. Retrieved 29 January 2016, from http://harvardfop.github.io/interpersonal-skills/no-doze.html

Healthpronet.org,. (2004). The Recreational Therapy Professional. Retrieved 29 January 2016, from http://www.healthpronet.org/ahp_month/07_04.html

Howe-Murphy, R. & Charboneau, B. (1987).Therapeutic recreation intervention: An ecological perspective. Engle-wood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Newman, D., Tay, L., & Diener, E. (2013). Leisure and Subjective Well-Being: A Model of Psychological Mechanisms as Mediating Factors. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15(3), 555-578. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10902-013-9435-x

Positivepsychology.org. (2015). Positive Psychology Center. Retrieved January 29 2016, from http://www.positivepsychology.org/

 

 

Practice OLP

OLP #1

Every organization has a type of person it needs to attract in order to become more successful. It is similar to putting a puzzle together; if the pieces don’t fit you won’t be able to complete the overall picture. So what do you do? Ideally, you look for the pieces that already fit the mold. This analogy is similar to the boss/employee relationship. Furthermore, the relationships between superiors and employees must be professional and productive. If the personality and working styles don’t mesh well, then the productivity and work environment won’t be ideal. John L. Holland identified 6 job personality and work environment types. According to Holland, the job personality type work environment fit, then this increases success rates. For RT this means finding out the patient’s personality and needs and providing modalities that fit within that niche.

Courtesy of: Google Images

 

Here is a summary of the six job personality and work environment types based on Holland:

1. Realistic (Do’er) – Prefers physical activities that require skill, strength, and coordination. Traits include genuine, stable, conforming, and practical.  Example professions include architect, farmer, and engineer. An example in RT could be gardening to focus on skills and a means to provide practical nutritional needs.
2. Investigative (Thinker) – Prefers working with theory and information, thinking, organizing, and understanding. Traits include: analytical, curious, and independent.  Example professions include lawyer, mathematician, and professor. An example in RT could be dominoes to focus on sequencing and strategy.
3. Artistic (Creator) – Prefers creative, original, and unsystematic activities that allow creative expression. Traits include: imaginative, disorderly, idealistic, emotional, and impractical.  Example professions include: artist, musician, and writer. Examples in RT could be arts and crafts to provide an opportunity for creativity.
4. Social (Helper) – Prefers activities that involve helping, healing, or developing others.  Traits include cooperative, friendly, sociable, and understanding.  Example professions include counselor, doctor, and teacher. Examples in RT could be providing resources for social integration, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters.
5. Enterprising (Persuader) – Prefers competitive environments, leadership, influence, selling, and status.  Traits include ambitious, domineering, energetic, and self-confident.  Example professions include Management, Marketing, and Sales Person. An example RT could be sport or intramural activities, because they provide competition.
6. Conventional (Organizer) – Prefers precise, rule-regulated, orderly, and unambiguous activities. Traits include conforming, efficient, practical, unimaginative, and inflexible. Example professions include accountant, clerk and editor. Examples in RT could be board games with specific rules to provide structure.

Courtesy of: Google Images

 

So how do you find that good fit for a company or an organization? Sure we have to start with people who have the right qualifications and personality characteristics. Within the field of recreational therapy (RT), this means finding an RT certified individual that fits the mold of the company or organization’s vision. However, you also have to take into consideration the personal needs of the employee, such as personal growth needs, physical needs, emotional needs, relationship needs and so on. For RT one would consider the psychosocial, emotional, cognitive, and physical, and leisure needs of the patient. The primary resolve of any company or organization is to provide for the needs of the customer or client. However, in order to have good service for the customer, the employee must work at optimal levels. Therefore, it could be argued that the company must first invest in the employee’s needs to be more successful in the long run. The trick is to, somehow, accomplish the primary mission while creating an environment which allows the organization’s human individuals to experience fulfillment. So how does a superior provide that? Below are four tips to create opportunities for morale, organization, and productivity.

1. Clear expectations – “People respond more enthusiastically when they know exactly what is expected of them. This is a principle of human nature that can be clearly seen at every age of development.” Within recreational therapy, when prescribing an activity to a patient, the therapist must clearly communicate how the activity is done and what is expected out of the patient. Just as patients need goals and rules, employees need structure.
2. Opportunity for growth – “Everyone also has an inner desire to grow beyond where they currently are.” In the field of recreational therapy, this means providing short and long term goals, either by the therapist or in collaboration. Within the business setting, this means giving people something to work towards, which provides them with motivation to be more productive and do better than they did the day before.
3. You need to “loosen up” sometimes – “People want to be treated with respect. If you treat people as professionals, they will respond as professionals and get their assigned tasks done, even in the absence of outside pressure. Tension in the atmosphere creates tension in the body which leads to fatigue and a loss of productivity and morale. Handled correctly, people will work from an inner motivation, which is always superior to outside pressure.” For recreational therapists, this means that you need to provide opportunities for fun. If the patient is having fun, they will be more likely to seek activities on their own, which leads to more independence and overall wellness. Eventually their motivation for activities can be internally driven, instead of prescribed externally by the therapist.
4. Create an atmosphere of respect and friendship – “Even if it means leaving a huge salary, many people will quit a job or organization that puts too much negative pressure on them. On the other hand, people will be loyal to an organization when they feel respect and friendship, even if the pay is low.” For recreational therapists, this means to always treat the patient with respect and kindness, and to create an environment that allows the patient to open up. Furthermore, it also means viewing them as a human with a disability, not only a disability.

Works Cited

Davis, F. (2016). Your Organization Is Only as Good as Your People. Streetdirectory.com. Retrieved 20 January 2016, from http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/1053/business_and_finance/your_organization_is_only_as_good_as_your_people.html

Sourcesofinsight.com,. (2009). 6 Job Personality and Work Environment Types. Retrieved 20 January 2016, from http://sourcesofinsight.com/6-personality-and-work-environment-types/

Blog #6: The End

We have covered a range of topics over the semester, including an introduction to leisure, recreation, and play, as well as personality, attitudes, identity, age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, and how it all relates to leisure experience, needs, and motivations. These elements of leisure studies are all interconnected and impact the individual across a lifetime.

*Source: Google Images

Change stems from activity in the form of leisure, recreation, or play. Leisure is a human right and a necessity. Leisure can be defined as time, an activity, or as a state of mind. Recreation is an activity during leisure time that an individual enjoys. Play is imaginative, intrinsically motivated, innate, freely chosen and actively engaging. Recreational therapists use leisure, recreation, and play interventions to    focus on a person’s well-being, which   includes physical, social, cognitive, emotional, spiritual, and leisure needs. Just as other professions focus on a basic hierarchy of needs with the end goal being self-actualization, there are universal necessities within the context leisure studies. Self-actualization is related to the concept of “FLOW” in leisure studies, because when the self disappears during flow it reappears afterwards stronger than ever, and that is what being self-actualized implies.

*Source: Google Images

There are three innate psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), which is also known as the self-determination theory. The way to obtain the basic needs of leisure is by the means of the self-determination continuum, which has to do with the degree to which one’s behaviors are chosen and self-initiated. In essence, it has to do with what motivates an individual to participate in an activity. Motivation plays a part in leisure because energy and persistence are directed towards leisure activities, which fulfil a basic human need of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. What motivates someone also depends on their personality. Leisure-specific personality dispositions, motives, and needs are strongly influenced by the socialization process and a variety of social and biological factors, such as ethnicity, attitude, race, age, gender, identity, and culture.

*Source: Google Images

Individuals find meaning, identity, and positive change through activity. Leisure, recreation, and play can significantly impact and enhance one’s quality of life by promoting a sense of balance in all wellness domains (emotional, cognitive, physical, social, spiritual). Physical recreation, in particular, is associated with improved self-esteem. In addition, individuals are more likely to feel satisfied with their life when they regularly take part in recreation activities. This has significant implications for mental health by lowering stress and depression while promoting positive feelings, which in turn improves physical health. Activities promote a healthy lifestyle and provide physical benefits such as strength, endurance, and balance. All of these health benefits explain why recreational therapy can be such an essential part of a rehabilitation program.

Hurd, A., & Anderson, D. (2011). Definitions of Leisure, Play, and Recreation. human-kinetics. Retrieved 8 December 2015, from http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/definitions-of-leisure-play-and-recreation

Kleiber, D., & Walker, G. (2011). A social psychology of leisure (2nd ed.). State College, PA: Venture Pub.

Morgan, R. (2013). Importance of Leisure & Recreation for Health | LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 9 December 2015, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/438983-what-are-the-health-benefits-of-leisure-recreation/

Personality and Participation

Source: Carpenter, M., & Bauer, T. (2010). Principles of management 1.1 (Version 1.1. ed.). Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge.

I was a bit confused during our class discussion this week about personality because of the various opinions in the class. Everyone was questioning personality with the classic debate of nature vs. nurture, as well as people arguing whether personality is stable vs. changing. It made me wonder “how is personality created?” I suggest that personality is a mixture of both nature and nurture, similar to the biopsychosocial approach in psychology. I also agree that everyone has a continuum of all personality traits inside of them, however, while some of them are more stable and prominent, others emerge depending on the social situation. Let’s see what the literature has to say about personality.

What is personality? Personality refers to the organization of enduring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior. Personality encompasses a person’s relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns. Each of us has a unique personality from birth that differentiates us from other people, and understanding someone’s personality gives us clues about how that person is likely to act and feel in a variety of situations. A child’s personality has several components: temperament, environment, and character. Temperament: is the set of genetically determined traits that determine the child’s approach to the world and how the child learns about the world. There are no genes that specify personality traits, but some genes do control the development of the nervous system, which in turn controls behavior. A second component of personality comes from adaptive patterns related to a child’s specific environment. Most psychologists agree that these two factors—temperament and environment—influence the development of a person’s personality the most. Temperament, with its dependence on genetic factors, is sometimes referred to as “nature,” while the environmental factors are called “nurture.” Finally, the third component of personality is character: the set of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral patterns learned from experience that determines how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. A person’s character continues to evolve throughout life, although much depends on inborn traits and early experiences. In 1956, psychiatrist Erik Erikson provided an insightful description as to how personality develops based on his extensive experience in psychotherapy with children and adolescents from low, upper, and middle-class backgrounds. According to Erikson, the socialization process of an individual consists of eight phases, each one accompanied by a “psychosocial crisis” that must be solved if the person is to manage the next and subsequent phases satisfactorily. The stages significantly influence personality development, with five of them occurring during infancy, childhood, and adolescence.  

Source: Google Images

So how is personality measured? The structure and organization of personality have been approached in various ways over the years. The most widely accepted model of personality is known as the Big Five Inventory (BFI); it is a 44 item self-report inventory designed to measure the Big Five dimensions shown below.

Source: Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative “description of personality”: The big-five factor structure.Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 59, 1216–1229.

These five factors have been researched in regards to participation in leisure and recreation activities. For example, people high in extroversion are more likely to participate in a lot of different activities and do so more intensely. Eysenck proposed that extroverts have a “stimulus hunger” that leads them to seek out stimulation externally, compared to introverts that require less stimulation to stay at an optimal level of activation. Extroverts are more likely to participate in athletics, as well as high endurance and adventure sports compared to introverts who are more likely to play computer games. Extroversion was my lowest factor out of the inventory.  On the spectrum bellow, I fall in-between ambivert and introvert mainly because I get drained being around people. While I enjoy activities by myself, I also love team sports, but not for the social aspect.

Source: Google Images

People high in agreeableness are more likely to be pro-social in leisure activities and use the context of leisure to serve others. Agreeableness was my second highest factor out of the inventory and I think it provides the reason for why I enjoy team sports, but I am not an extrovert; I enjoy the team aspect of serving and working together for a greater purpose and common goal. Conscientiousness was after agreeableness for me, but they were very close. Individuals high in conscientiousness are more likely to gravitate towards order and serious leisure activities. This might explain why I played competitive collegiate soccer and prefer games with rules. The second lowest factor for me was neuroticism. Individuals high in neuroticism are less likely to experience pleasure and enjoyment from activities because they focus less on the positive aspects of life or therapeutic aspects of the activity. However, the advantage to neuroticism is that individuals abide by exercise programs more consistently compared to the other four factors in the BFI. This would make sense because I do not follow exercise programs consistently although I wish I did. Individuals high in Openness would be more likely to participate in activities such as reading, due to their intellectual component. My highest factor was openness. I cannot say that I currently use reading as an enjoyable activity, however, I have in the past.  I enjoy poetry and Shakespeare plays, so much so that I took an elective class to analyze the language, time period, and plot lines of the literature. I think if I did not read as much for graduate school I would be more inclined to read for my leisure activity.

How does personality shape leisure? Personality directs leisure behavior to an extent, which is why it is important in leisure studies. The relationship between personality and leisure is complicated because personality dispositions and traits themselves are a function of social experience, as well as innate predispositions. Leisure-specific personality dispositions, motives, and needs are strongly influenced by the socialization process and a variety of social factors. For recreational therapists specifically, there is no “cookie cutter” approach. It important to get to know the patient’s personality in order to provide a leisure or recreation focused intervention tailored to the individual. The therapist can make an educated guess of what activity the individual might be more interested in participating in based on the BFI, what the patient tells them, and evidence based practice, however, because there are so many factors that influence an individual’s choice of leisure, it is not possible to completely predict the patient’s participation in or choice of an activity.

References

Carpenter, M., & Bauer, T. (2010). Principles of management 1.1 (Version 1.1. ed.). Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge.

Goldberg, L. R. (1990). An alternative “description of personality”: The big-five factor structure.Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 59, 1216–1229.

John, O. (2007). The Big Five Inventory. Retrieved November 13, 2015, from https://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~johnlab/bfi.htm

Kleiber, D., & Walker, G. (2011). A social psychology of leisure (2nd ed.). State College, PA: Venture Pub.

Personality development. (2015). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.healthofchildren.com/P/Personality-Development.html

 

 

Finding Motivation

The image above is the best way to explain how one would motivate me to run. What is motivation and how does it play a part in Leisure? According to Deci and Ryan, motivation concerns energy, direction, and persistence. Motivation plays a part in leisure because energy and persistence is directed towards leisure activities which fulfil a basic human need of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. It was widely believed that there were only two types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. I touched bases on what these types of motivations are in previous posts. However, research shows that leisure activities involve more than one motivation, and also that the motivation for participating in an activity can change over time. The figure bellow, known as the self-determination continuum, is based off of Deci and Ryan’s self-determination theory (SDT). In short, SDT has to do with the degree to which ones behaviors are chosen and self-initiated.

Deci and Ryan proposed that there are more than two motivations; there is amotivation, extrinsic motivation, and intrinsic motivation. Intrinsic motivation is considered the purest form of leisure and the most self-determined. It comes from within, is fully self-determined, and characterized by interest and enjoyment. An example in my life of a leisure activity I participate in that is intrinsically motivated would be soccer. I love playing soccer and I can play it whenever I want to with no obligation. Vallerand and Losier (1999) found that intrinsic motivation can be broken down further into motivation to know, intrinsic motivation to accomplish, and intrinsic motivation to experience stimulation. These three aspects can be present in an activity and sometimes only one or two will be present. I love soccer because I feel accomplished when I learn new tricks and skills, I enjoy learning new techniques and positions, and I feel happy and challenged by myself and others when I play. When I am playing on the field I am “in the zone”. According to Hungarian psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the highest level of intrinsic motivation is flow state, which is characterized by complete immersion in an activity, to the degree that nothing else matters. An example of flow would be a “Runner’s high” or that “in-the-zone” feeling describes an experience of near athletic perfection. Personally, I don’t experience flow from running alone; I experience it while running for the purpose of soccer because of my intrinsic motivation to play the sport. Intrinsic motivation is the standard at which all other forms of leisure should be compared.

Amotivation is the exact opposite of intrinsic motivation because it is lacking in energy, direction, and persistence. Amotivation is a lack of intention to engage in a behavior and is accompanied by feelings of incompetence and a lack of connection between one’s behavior and the expected outcome. An example of amotivation would be when an athlete says they don’t see any point in participating in a sport anymore and don’t feel competent enough to play. In my own life, I experience amotivation when I think about running. Extrinsic motivation falls between intrinsic and amotivation on the continuum. It is divided into external (least self-determined), introjected, identified, and integrated (most self-determined). External regulation refers to behaviors for which the locus of initiation is external to the person, for example, the offer of a reward or the threat of a punishment. An example in my life would be when my coach would tell me to run laps at practice if I wanted to play in the game over the weekend. Taking in but not accepting a regulation as one’s own is the basis of introjected regulation. Such regulation involves internalized rules or demands that pressure one to behave and are reinforced with threats or promised rewards. Introjected regulations, although within the person, are not part of the integrated self, so behavior regulated by introjects is not considered self-determined. An example of introjected regulation in my life would be showing up to practice on time to avoid punishment from the coach (usually in the form of running), and avoid judgements of teammates and the guilt of not being prepared for practice.

The next two forms of external motivation are on the self-determined side of the continuum. Identified regulation occurs when the person has come to value the behavior and has identified with and accepted the regulatory process. With identification, the regulatory process has become more fully a part of the self, so the person does the activity more willingly. An example in my life of identified regulation would be weight training outside of practice to increase my health and strength so I can improve at soccer. The motivation is extrinsic because the activity is performed primarily because of its usefulness or instrumentality for the goal of improving performance and succeeding in future endeavors, rather than because it is interesting. The most developmentally advanced form of extrinsic motivation is integrated regulation. In this case the regulatory process is fully integrated with the individual’s coherent sense of self; that is, the identifications are reciprocally assimilated with the individual’s other values, needs, and identities. Integrated regulation bears some relation to intrinsic motivation because both are forms of autonomous self-regulation. However, intrinsic motivation and integrated regulation are different. Intrinsic motivation is characterized by interest in the activity itself, whereas integrated regulation is characterized by the activity’s being personally important for a valued outcome. An example in my life of integrated regulation would be me going to graduate school to become a recreational therapist; I go because it is congruent with my personal beliefs, values, and goals, and not only because I enjoy it. There are still external motivations shaping the reason I go to graduate school, but I identify with the purpose of graduate school and it has become integrated into my life. In conclusion, understanding different types of motivation is important because as a future recreational therapist I will need to know what motivates patients and why.

References

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: the psychology of optimal experience. Choice Reviews Online, 28(01), 28-0597-28-0597. http://dx.doi.org/10.5860/choice.28-0597

Deci, E., Vallerand, R., Pelletier, L., & Ryan, R. (1991). Motivation and Education: The Self-Determination Perspective. HEDP, 26(3), 325-346. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep2603&4_6

Kleiber, D., Walker, G., Mannell, R., & Mannell, R. (2011). A social psychology of leisure. State College, PA: Venture Pub.

Kotler, S. (2015). Runner’s High Revisited. Psychology Today. Retrieved 30 October 2015, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-playing-field/200805/runners-high-revisited

Miller, K., Deci, E., & Ryan, R. (1988). Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Determination in Human Behavior. Contemporary Sociology, 17(2), 253. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/2070638

Pponline.co.uk,. (2015). Motivation in Sports Psychology. Retrieved 30 October 2015, from http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/motivation-in-sports-psychology-35892#

Ryan, R., & Deci, E. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.68