It was not until the 1970s that work by Neulinger, Kelly, and Csikszentmihalyi brought
the constructs of perceived freedom and intrinsic motivation to the forefront of leisure
research. Since then, perceived freedom and intrinsic motivation continue to be paramount in our quest to fully understand leisure studies, the conceptualization of leisure,
as well as past and recent theoretical developments in leisure studies. This paper
discusses how the ideas of perceived freedom and intrinsic motivation, implicit in
the conception of leisure for years, have evolved through the major theoretical developments that have occurred in the field. This paper also looks at how these developments have implicated contemporary research in leisure studies, thus laying a basis for future research leading to a deeper understanding of leisure theory, practice, and
conceptualization. It is concluded that, although somewhat slow, a progressive shift
from social empiricism to social analysis has taken place in leisure studies research
leading to the development of more recent theoretical advancements.
Keywords: Leisure studies; theoretical developments; perceived freedom; intrinsic
motivation; social psychology