The Two Faces of Leisure Activity Engagement: Harmonious and Obsessive Passion in Relation to Intrapersonal Conflict and Life Domain Outcomes

The Dualistic Model of Passion implies that a person can develop either a harmonious or an obsessive passion for a valued activity. This study applied this model to investigate outcomes from leisure activity engagement. A total of 198 subjects responded to a Web-based survey asking undergraduate students to participate in a study on leisure activities. Results showed that harmonious passion for a leisure activity was associated with congruent self-guides related to activity engagement and positive life domain outcomes. Obsessive passion was associated with discrepant self-guides and negative life domain outcomes. Path analyses showed that intrapersonal conflict mediated the outcomes of passion on life domains. The findings support a dynamical approach to leisure activity outcomes.