Abstract

Expectancy and importance of a specific activity depends on identity salience of the activity related role. Thus, leisure identity salience can influence expectancy and importance of leisure activity. Consequently, it is supposed that the effect of leisure experience on leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction depends on leisure identity salience. To examine this proposition, this study investigated the leisure identity salience, leisure experience, leisure satisfaction, and life satisfaction of leisure sports participants of serious leisure activities. Serious leisure is defined as the steady pursuit of a specific leisure activity with complexity and numerous challenges. The results of the survey analysis verify that leisure experience consists of four components: self-affirmation, escape from daily routine, perceived self-efficacy, and social relation. Identity salience influences the relative importance of each leisure experience component to leisure satisfaction. This explains that individuals with high leisure identity salience differ from individuals with low leisure identity salience in expectancy of a leisure activity. Also, in low leisure identity salience group, none of the leisure experience components influences life satisfaction. However, in high leisure identity salience group, most leisure experience components show significant effects on life satisfaction. This analysis leads to the conclusion that positive leisure experience will improve the life satisfaction of the individuals with high leisure identity salience, although it does little for the individuals with low leisure identity salience. It also explains that a mere expansion of leisure time or the number of activities would not enhance one's life quality or satisfaction. To achieve this end, systematic and steady pursuit of the leisure activity is required.