Personal life

Personal life
The home often reflects many aspects of one's personal life.

Personal life is the course of an individual's life, especially when viewed as the sum of personal choices contributing to one's personal identity.[1] It is a common notion in modern existence—although more so in more prosperous parts of the world such as Western Europe and North America.[citation needed] In these areas, there are service industries which are designed to help people improve their personal lives via counselling or life coaching.[2]

Contents

History

Humans traditionally live in family-based social structures and artificial shelters.

In the past, before modern technology largely alleviated the problem of economic scarcity in industrialised countries, most people spent a large portion of their time attempting to provide their basic survival needs, including water, food, and protection from the weather.[3] Survival skills were necessary for the sake of both self and community; food needed to be harvested and shelters needed to be maintained.[4] There was little privacy in a community, and people were identified by their social role.[5] Jobs were assigned out of necessity rather than personal choice.[6]

Furthermore, individuals in many ancient cultures primarily viewed their self-existence under the aspect of a larger social whole, often one with mythological underpinnings which placed the individual in relation to the cosmos.[7] People in such cultures found their identity not through their individual choices—indeed, they may not have been able to conceive a choice which was purely individual. Such individuals, if asked to describe themselves, would speak of the collective of which they were part: the tribe, the Church, the nation.[8] Even now, survival issues are still dominant in many countries and societies. For example, the continents of Africa and Asia are still largely mired in poverty and third-world conditions, without technology, secure shelter, or reliable food sources. In such places, the concepts of a "personal life", "self-actualization", "personal fulfillment", or "privacy" are largely unaffordable luxuries.[9]

The English philosopher, John Locke, was one of the earliest to discuss the concept of individual rights. In the 17th century, he promoted the natural rights of the individual to life, liberty, and property, and included the pursuit of happiness as one of the individual's goals.

Sociology

Increasingly, leisure time is spent on computer games.

The notion of a personal life, as now understood, is in part a creation of modern Western society. In the United States, especially, privacy is highly valued. Since the colonial period, Americans have been noted for their individualism and their pursuit of self-definition.[10] Indeed, the United States Declaration of Independence and the Constitution explicitly raise the pursuit of happiness and the expectation of privacy to the level of rights.

In modern times, many people have come to think of their personal lives as separate from their work.[11] Work and recreation are distinct; one is either on the job or not, and the transition is abrupt. Employees have certain hours they are bound to work, and work during recreational time is rare. This may be related to the continuing specialization of jobs and the demand for increased efficiency, both at work and at home. The common phrase "Work hard, play hard" illustrates this mindset. There is a growing trend, however, toward living more holistically and minimizing such rigid distinctions between work and play, in order to achieve the right work–life balance.

The concept of personal life also tends to be associated with the way individuals dress, the food they eat, their schooling and further education as well as their hobbies, leisure activities, and cultural interests. Increasingly, in the developed world, a person's daily life is also influenced by their leisure use of consumer electronics such as televisions, computers and the Internet, mobile phones and digital cameras.[12]

Other factors affecting personal life are an individual's health, personal relationships, pets as well as his home and personal possessions.

Leisure activities

Kabukicho is Tokyo's entertainment district.

The way in which individuals make use of their spare time also plays an important role in defining their personal lives. In general, leisure activities can be categorised as either passive, in cases when no real effort is required, or active, when substantial physical or mental energy is needed.[13]

Passive activities include watching television, listening to music, watching sports activities or going to the cinema. The individual simply relaxes without any special effort.

Active activities may be more or less intensive ranging from walking, through jogging and cycling to sports such as tennis or football. Playing chess or undertaking creative writing might also be considered as demanding as these require a fair amount of mental effort.

Based on 2007 data, a US survey on use of leisure time found that the daily use of leisure time by individuals over 15 averaged 4.9 hours. Of this, more than half (2.6 hours) was spent on watching TV while only 19 minutes was spent on active participation in sports and exercise.[14]

Privacy

Privacy has been understood as entailing two different concepts; namely informational privacy and decisional privacy. The former concerns the right to be left alone in respect of the most intimate details of one's personal life and is a more accepted doctrine than the latter which concerns freedom from undue regulation and control.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ Baker, Maureen (2007). Choices and Constraints in Family Life. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195421057. 
  2. ^ Williams, Patrick; Davis, Deborah C. (2007). Therapist as life coach: an introduction for counselors and other helping professionals. W. W. Norton & Company. ISBN 9780393705225. 
  3. ^ Van Loon, Hendrik (1921). The Story of Mankind. New York: Boni and Liveright, Inc.. http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/VanStor.html. 
  4. ^ Gupta, Anil K. (10). "Origin of agriculture and domestication of plants and animals linked to early Holocene climate amelioration". Current Science 87 (1). http://www.ias.ac.in/currsci/jul102004/54.pdf. 
  5. ^ Barnard, Alan J. (2004). Hunter-gatherers in history, archaeology and anthropology. Berg Publishers. ISBN 9781859738252. 
  6. ^ "Why did anthropologists get interested in peasants?". Experience Rich Anthropology. University of Kent at Canterbury. http://era.anthropology.ac.uk/Era_Resources/Era/Peasants/intro2.html. Retrieved 26 February 2011. 
  7. ^ Percy, Walker (2000). Lost in the cosmos: the last self-help book. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312253998. 
  8. ^ Ashton-Jones, Evelyn; Charles Lindholm (1991). "Life behind the Veil". The Gender reader. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. pp. 252. ISBN 0205128068. 
  9. ^ Maslow, A. H. (1943). "A Theory of Human Motivation". Psychological Review 50: 370–396. doi:10.1037/h0054346. http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm. 
  10. ^ de Tocqueville, Alexis (1840). Democracy in America. London: Saunders and Otley. http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/home.html. 
  11. ^ Best, Shaun (2009). Leisure Studies: Themes and Perspectives. SAGE Publications. pp. 201. ISBN 9781412903868. http://books.google.com/?id=P8Pr8SYBmI8C&pg=PA201&dq=work+leisure#v=onepage&q=work%20leisure&f=false. 
  12. ^ Shah, Agam. "Netbooks Propel Global Semiconductor Sales". PCWorld. PCWorld Communications, Inc.. http://www.pcworld.com/article/173052/netbooks_propel_global_semiconductor_sales.html. Retrieved 26 February 2011. 
  13. ^ Stebbins, Robert A. (November 2002). "Choice and Experiential Definitions of Leisure". LSA Newsletter 63. http://people.ucalgary.ca/~stebbins/reflections1.pdf. 
  14. ^ "Leisure Time on an Average Day". American Time Use Survey. Bureau of Labor Statistics. http://www.bls.gov/tus/charts/leisure.htm. Retrieved 26 February 2011. 
  15. ^ Kumar, Krishna, et al (997). Public and private in thought and practice : perspectives on a grand dichotomy. Chicago; London: The University of Chicago Press. pp. 383. ISBN 0226886247. 

Further reading


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Personal life of Marcus Tullius Cicero — Infobox Writer name = Marcus Tullius Cicero |200px caption = Marcus Tullius Cicero birthdate = January 3, 106 BC birthplace = Arpinum, Italy deathdate = December 7, 43 BC deathplace = Formia, Italy occupation = Politician, lawyer, orator and… …   Wikipedia

  • Personal life of Osama bin Laden — Osama bin Laden, a militant Islamist and founder of al Qaeda in 1988,[1] believed Muslims should kill civilians and military personnel from the United States and allied countries until they withdrew support for Israel and withdrew military forces …   Wikipedia

  • Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's personal life — Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Atatürk on Ege steamer during a tour to Antalya, February 1935. Born Mustafa May 19, 1881(1881 05 19) (a posteriori) …   Wikipedia

  • Leonardo da Vinci's personal life — Infobox Artist name = Leonardo da Vinci imagesize = 150px caption = Portrait in red chalk, circa 1512 to 1515. [ This drawing in red chalk is widely (though not universally) accepted as an original self portrait. The main reason for hesitation in …   Wikipedia

  • someone's personal life — someone’s personal life phrase the part of someone’s life relating to things such as their sexual and family relationships, rather than their job My personal life is not your concern. Thesaurus: relationships and membership of social… …   Useful english dictionary

  • someone's personal life — the part of someone s life relating to things such as their sexual and family relationships, rather than their job My personal life is not your concern …   English dictionary

  • Life extension — refers to an increase in maximum or average lifespan, especially in humans, by slowing down or reversing the processes of aging. Average lifespan is determined by vulnerability to accidents and age related afflictions such as cancer or… …   Wikipedia

  • life — [laɪf] noun lives PLURALFORM [laɪvz] [countable] 1. the period of time during which something takes place or exists: • industrial products used during the life of a mining operation • The rate of interest is often subsidized and fixed for the… …   Financial and business terms

  • Life (disambiguation) — Life is a biological condition but may also refer to: * Personal life, day to day events and issues for an individual person ** Real life * Biography in literature * Life bar, used in videogames to indicate how many Life points a character has *… …   Wikipedia

  • Childhood, education and personal life of Osama bin Laden — Osama bin Laden, a militant Islamist and reported founder al Qaeda, [Michael Scheuer, Through Our Enemies Eyes , p. 110] in conjunction with several other Islamic militant leaders, issued two fatwas in 1996 and then again in 1998 that Muslims… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”