Suits,Autotelicity, Temporal Reallocations,Game Resources and Defining ‘play’

Bernard Suits bequeathed a rich legacy of philosophical insights contributing to our developing a deeper understanding of sport-related issues, and his work has attracted much attention and stimulated valuable controversy over many years. However, the interest it has stimulated appears uneven. In this context and with reference to the former claims above, I focus on a part of his work that has received relatively less commentary, in the hope that it too will yield work of value. Given the imaginative quality of Suits's writing, it is pessimistic to assume that attention to a relatively neglected part of his work will fail to bear fruit, if not as a result of my labours here, then perhaps of someone else's in further discussion. My concern is his account of ‘play’, by which he meant to toy, fiddle or trifle with something or other, written over 30 years ago, and it stems from reflection on one recent effort to examine this part of Suits's work, namely Morgan's discussion of ‘play’. My article attempts an analysis of the definition Suits gave and an evaluation of efforts he made to defend his understanding, alongside brief exploration of Morgan's work. Both of these tasks are undertaken against a background of Suits's broader concerns with the place of games in an ideal life. The conclusions I reach are that Suits's account embodies too many issues to be acceptable; that Morgan's attempt to rescue him from one of them is misdirected; but that even if my criticisms are damaging to the account of ‘play’ I examine, they leave Suits's main work on playing games seriously as sports unscathed.     

Mothers and Children Together

Summary

Treatment groups for both mothers and children together who have experienced mother assault is a unique therapeutic milieu which has been underutilized in the treatment field. This article presents a 10-week feminist-informed family systems group model as part of a treatment approach for children exposed to family violence and can be used with families of children from pre-school to adolescence. This model provides a context in which the experience of family violence can be debriefed, and issues related to trauma, safety, secrecy, and post-abuse family restructuring can be addressed by family members together. In addition, play and art therapy based interventions are presented and are tailored for the beginning, middle, and end of the group process.     

The Role of Peers in the Linkages Between Harsh Parenting and Mental Health Outcomes Among Adolescents from Families At-Risk

Harsh parenting is associated with adolescent mental health concerns. Peer relationships also importantly influence adolescent mental health outcomes. Although the direct associations between harsh parenting, peer relationships, and adolescent outcomes have been empirically established, less is known about the extent to which peer relationships mediate the associations between harsh parenting and adolescent outcomes. This study tested the links between harsh parenting, peer relationships, and adolescent outcomes among families at-risk for child maltreatment. With a sample of caregivers and adolescents (n = 218), the results of mediation analyses indicated that peer aggression partially mediated the pathway between harsh parenting and externalizing symptoms of both females and males. Additionally, peer rejection partially mediated the links between harsh parenting and internalizing symptoms of both females and males and peer rejection also was a partial mediator of male externalizing symptoms.     

Transcendental Relationships? A Theological Reflection on Cybersex and Cyber-relationships

Abstract

Cybersex, i.e. sexual interactions through new media such as chat clients or email, is a phenomenon that combines two important developments of contemporary society: its increased mediatization through communication and information technologies (ICT), and the new importance that sexuality seems to have in many people's lives. Rather than an opposition between the offline and online world, a closer look at cybersex activities reveals a continuity between "real" and "virtual" realities. This paper proposes a theological reflection on some aspects of cybersex that have an immediate bearing on theological anthropology and its thinking about human existence in relation to a transcendent reality, God: the role of imagination, the relationship between body and mind, the transformed understanding of space and time and the dimension of play and fantasy in cybersex.     

Biblically based parenting and child-parent relationship training: common ground for helping religious clients

The purpose of this article was to demonstrate the interface between biblically based parenting and an empirically validated parenting model. Specifically, the authors compared the relationship between Child-Parent Relationship Training's (CPRT) theoretical tenets and values espoused by families utilising biblically based parenting practices. The authors propose that certain constructs of CPRT, from theoretical tenets to techniques, interface with important biblically based parenting values of many religious families. The authors purport that this common ground will allow clinicians to utilise the foundational ideas and practical techniques of the CPRT model for specific work with religious clients seeking biblically based parenting education.     

Relationships among Leisure,Social Self-Image,Peer Pressure and At-Risk Behaviours of Adolescents in Nigeria

This study investigated the relationships among leisure, social self image, peer pressure and at-risk behaviours of adolescents in Nigeria. It also examined the moderating roles of gender, age, and locale and school type on measured relationships. A total of 1,141 adolescents with a mean age of 16 participated in the study. The results revealed significant relationships among leisure, social self-image, peer pressure and involvement in at-risk behaviours. Leisure was found to be greatest predictor of at-risk behaviours. The variable of gender stood out as a significant moderator of the relationships between leisure, social self-image, peer pressure and at-risk behaviours, while school type moderated only the relationship between leisure and at-risk behaviours.     

Sledging in Sport—Playful Banter,or Mean-spirited Insults? A Study of Sledging’s Place in Play

Abstract

Sledging, or ‘trash talk’ or ‘chirping’, as it’s known in other parts of the world, has long been part of competitive sport. However, more recent times have seen the issue of sledging, and its place in sport, debated with many athletes, fans and academics arguing that sledging has moved outside the notion of ‘sportsmanship’ and gone beyond light hearted, good natured banter. They argue it is now characterized as hurtful, insulting, offensive and intimidating – a tactic that has moved beyond fair play and, in many instances, no longer acceptable. This paper seeks to explore this issue in greater depth. In particular, this paper seeks to ask, ‘is sledging part of play, or is it a characteristic of play’s corruption?’ The argument proceeds by adopting a conception of play grounded in the work of Johan Huizinga. Play may be understood as a core component of even professional sport, not least in that play lies at the moral core of the ‘spirit of sport’ in fairplay and respect for one’s opponents. Using examples to illuminate the changing nature of play and sledging, it will be argued that sledging in its modern form leads to the corruption of this ‘spirit of sport’. The insights of sports and philosophy academics and scholars are drawn upon, as are the insights of surveyed sports fans and amateur athletes who highlight their views on sledging and its place in modern sport. By doing so, sledging’s role in sport and its most dominant characteristics, according to those to watch professional sport and play at the community level, become clear, helping to articulate the difference between a form of sledging that is still playful and a part of play, and sledging that is characteristic of play’s corruption.     

Being a non-drinking student: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Recent research suggests that safer student alcohol consumption might be assisted by understanding how social occasions are managed by non-drinkers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with five 19 – 22 year old non-drinking English undergraduates were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. We present five inter-linked themes: ‘living with challenges to non-drinking’; ‘seeing what goes on in drinking environments’; ‘dealing with conversations about non-drinking (making excuses vs. coming out)’; ‘knowing which friends care about you’; and ‘the importance of minimising “legroom” for peer pressure’. Participants felt under persistent peer scrutiny (as a form of peer pressure) and could feel alienated in drinking environments. Talking about non-drinking was characterised by whether to ‘come out’ (as a non-drinker) or ‘fake it’ (e.g. ‘I’m on antibiotics’). Loyal friendships were reported as particularly important in this context. The decision not to drink was experienced as providing a successful buffer to peer pressure for former drinkers. Our findings unsettle traditional health promotion campaigns which advocate moderate drinking among students without always suggesting how it might be most successfully accomplished and offer tentative guidance on how non-drinking during specific social occasions might be managed more successfully. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature and future research directions are suggested.     

Associations between authoritative parenting and the sun exposure and sun protective behaviours of adolescents and their friends

Associations between the sun exposure and sun protective behaviours of adolescents and their friends were examined along with the role played by authoritative parenting and other family and peer socialisation factors. Four hundred and two adolescents (198 males, 204 females) participated in the research. It was found that these adolescents and their friends shared similar sun exposure and sun protective behaviours and had similar parenting backgrounds. Parental authoritativeness was positively associated with the use of sun protection, even after the effects of other familial and peer variables were controlled, but not with the time spent sunbathing which was associated with friends’ behaviours. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.