Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women (American Cancer Society, 2005). Following treatment for breast cancer, many women’s perceptions of their bodies change. These changes may act as asupports the notion that women face more constraints in their physical activity pursuits than men. However, the research on constraint negotiation suggests that women can overcome these constraints and participate in satisfying physical activities. Social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954) suggests that individuals make assessments of themselves relative to others, and we suggest that this may have the potential to facilitate constraint negotiation. Measures: A modified Leisure Constraints Scale was utilized for this study. Cronbach’s alpha for the scale was .81. A semi-structured interview guide was utilized with the focus groups. Intervention: Women were asked to attend yoga class 2.5 hours per week for eight weeks. Postural sequences were designed specifically to focus on opening the chest area, increasing circulation in the upper body, and overall strengthening and toning. After the completion of the yoga intervention, the women participated in focus groups to ascertain how yoga influenced their lives. Results: Eighteen out of twenty-nine women completed the yoga program, resulting in a 37% attrition rate. There was no significant difference those who completed the study and the attrition group. A statistically significant reduction in the constraints occurred related to the cost of fitness or recreation facilities, the level of self-consciousness related to the way they look, and in the total constraints overall. Women in the program echoed these sentiments in the focus groups and reported that participating with other breast cancer survivors allowed them to feel much less self-conscious about their physical differences. Discussion: These findings support the social comparison theory, as the breast cancer survivors who completed the yoga program perceived fewer leisure constraints and considered the program beneficial, in part because of the social support that occurred in this group. This is important to understand because previous work has found that activity restriction in women with breast cancer was associated with public self-consciousness and lack of perceived social-support (Williamson, 2000).

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Reframing the relationship between obligation and leisure
Karen Gallant, University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Canada)

Leisure is commonly conceptualized as unobligated time, and thus leisure and obligation appear diametrically opposed. However, the changing nature of leisure, andparticularly the recent focus on serious leisure as a corollary to more casual forms of leisure, necessitates a reframing of the relationship between obligation and leisure. Leisure is traditionally characterized by perceived choice, freedom, and intrinsic motivation, while obligation is commonly associated with extrinsic motivation and work (Deci & Ryan, 1985). Conceptualizations of obligation as the opposite of leisure find empirical support in social psychological studies of obligation within a leisure context, where participants often describe obligations as explicitly non-leisure, characterizing them as unpleasant tasks, constraints and/or responsibilities. (Juniu, Tedrick & Boyd, 1996; Kelly & Kelly, 1994). In contrast, Stebbins (2007) conceptualizes obligation as a positive aspect of leisure within the meaningful, committed and systematic pursuit of serious leisure. Further, he suggests that feelings of obligation that accompany serious leisure pursuits are typically related to the high levels of commitment characteristic of serious leisure participation and leading to its many rewards. Further, serious leisure provides an avenue for understanding how obligation can be a positive aspect of the leisure experience. Beyond the serious leisure pursuits of amateurs, hobbyists and volunteers, obligation may be part of the leisure experience of parents and children engaged in family leisure, staff members participating in work-related leisure, and in other avenues where the distinction between work and leisure can be blurred. Drawing on literature from leisure and social psychology, this paper will offer a conceptualization of obligation within the context of leisure, as a multi-faceted concept encompassing both a sense of commitment and a lack of choice or freedom. In the context of post-industrial era, in which leisure and work have become less dichotomized, it is relevant to consider how obligation may be an aspect of the leisure experience, how this aspect of leisure is not necessarily burdensome or unwelcome, the conditions under which it may become so, and how obligation shapes the nature of the leisure experience.