Adolescents today have more unsupervised and unstructured free time than ever before. Poor decisions by youth during periods of free time may lead to substance abuse, teen pregnancy and juvenile delinquency. The highest frequency of juvenile crime, a major social problem, occurs during the 2-4 hours following the end of the school day. Research has demonstrated the benefits of engaging adolecents in prosocial leisure activity. However, no research has studied the issues of free time and leisure education with a delinquent population. This paper documents the impact of a leisure education curriculum on a population of delinquent youth in a randomized experiment. The delinquent youths who received the leisure education reported higher intrinsic motivation and better use of free time. The delinquent youths also reported improved decision making related to their involvement in healthy, prosocial free time activities. Finally, the improvement in the delinquent youths' motivation influenced a significant decrease in the delinquent youths' proneness to boredom during their free time.

Idle time is a common phenomenon that prevents employees from performing their core job tasks, with detrimental effects on employee well-being and performance. Drawing on affective events theory, the job demands-resources model, and action regulation theory, this dissertation addresses three main questions: First, how idle time affects employee well-being and performance; second, the mechanisms behind these effects, namely appraisals and affective reactions; and third, the conditions under which idle time may be beneficial for employees. Study 1 (N = 338) showed indirect negative effects of objective idle time on employee well-being through the subjective experience of being idle. Age was negatively and boredom proneness positively associated with subjective idle time. Two experiments in Study 2 (N2a = 445, N2b = 597) demonstrated the detrimental effects of regulation problems on employee well-being and performance, mediated by objective and subjective idle time. Recovery activities buffered the detrimental effects of idle time. In Study 3, a 12-month, five-wave longitudinal study (N = 1,036), the associations of idle time with lower job satisfaction, higher turnover intentions, and higher counterproductive work behavior were mediated by higher boredom. Finally, the results of Study 4, based on the same data as Study 3, showed that the effects of idle time on employee exhaustion and engagement depended on boundary conditions, namely workload and autonomy. For high workload employees, idle time was positively associated with engagement, whereas when autonomy was high, idle time was associated with lower exhaustion and lower engagement. During idle time, relaxation was beneficial, whereas detachment was detrimental regarding employee exhaustion and engagement. Idle time is detrimental to employee well-being and performance, mediated by subjective idle time, boredom, and lack of recovery, respectively. Certain conditions, like high workload or using idle time for relaxation, can make it beneficial for employees. The results provide insights for research, particular in the areas of waiting, interruptions, recovery, and well-being.:Acknowledgments i English Abstract ii German Abstract iii Table of Contents iv List of Tables ix List of Figures x 1 General Introduction 1 2 Study 1: Effects of Idle Time on Well-Being – An Experimental Study 6 2.1 Abstract 6 2.2 Introduction 7 2.3 Idle Time as an Affective Event at Work 9 2.4 Method 11 2.4.1 Open Science 11 2.4.2 Study Design 11 2.4.3 Participants 12 2.4.4 Materials 13 2.4.5 Data Analysis 14 2.5 Results 15 2.5.1 Descriptive Statistics 15 2.5.2 Confirmatory Factor Analysis 15 2.5.3 Manipulation Check 15 2.5.4 Hypothesis Tests 15 2.5.5 Exploratory Results 16 2.6 Discussion 17 2.6.1 Theoretical and Practical Implications 17 2.6.2 Limitations and Future Research 19 2.7 Conclusion 21 2.8 Open Data and Electronic Supplementary Materials (ESM 1) 21 3 Study 2: Idle Time, Recovery, and Work Outcomes: Results of Two Experimental Studies 26 3.1 Abstract 26 3.2 Introduction 27 3.3 Idle Time at Work 29 3.3.1 Antecedents of Idle Time 29 3.3.2 The Consequences of Idle Time 30 3.3.3 The Mechanisms Underlying Effects of Idle Time 31 3.4 Study 1 33 3.4.1 Method 33 3.4.2 Results 36 3.4.3 Discussion 37 3.5 Study 2 37 3.5.1 Method 37 3.5.2 Results 40 3.5.3 Discussion 43 3.6 General Discussion 43 3.6.1 Theoretical and Practical Implications 44 3.6.2 Limitations and Future Research 46 3.7 Conclusion 47 4 Study 3: Is it Bad Because it is Boring? Effects of Idle Time on Employee Outcomes 58 4.1 Abstract 58 4.2 Introduction 59 4.3 The Effects of Idle Time 62 4.3.1 Idle Time and Boredom 63 4.3.2 Boredom and Employee Outcomes 64 4.3.3 Idle Time and Employee Outcomes 65 4.4 Method 66 4.4.1 Participants and Procedure 66 4.4.2 Measures 68 4.4.3 Statistical Analysis 70 4.5 Results 71 4.5.1 Hypothesis Tests 71 4.5.2 Additional Analyses 73 4.6 Discussion 75 4.6.1 Theoretical and Practical Implications 75 4.6.2 Limitations and Future Research 77 4.7 Conclusion 79 5 Study 4: Can Idle Time Serve as a Resource? A Job Demands-Resources Approach 88 5.1 Abstract 88 5.2 Introduction 89 5.3 Theoretical Background and Hypotheses Development 91 5.3.1 The Downsides of Idle Time 91 5.3.2 The Benefits of Idle Time 92 5.4 Method 94 5.4.1 Participants and Procedure 94 5.4.2 Measures 95 5.4.3 Data Analysis 97 5.5 Results 97 5.5.1 Hypothesis Tests 97 5.5.2 Additional Analyses 99 5.6 Discussion 99 5.6.1 Theoretical and Practical Implications 100 5.6.2 Limitations and Future Directions 102 5.7 Conclusion 103 6 General Discussion 109 6.1 Summary 109 6.2 Theoretical Contributions 110 6.2.1 The Consequences of Idle Time 110 6.2.2 The Mechanisms Underlying Idle Time 111 6.2.3 Recovery and Boundary Conditions 112 6.3 Practical Contributions 113 6.4 Limitations and Future Directions 114 6.4.1 Affective Events Theory 114 6.4.2 Event System Theory 115 6.4.3 Action Regulation Theory 116 6.5 Conclusion 117 References 118 Appendix I Theses I Idle Time at Work I Study 1: Effects of Idle Time on Well-Being – An Experimental Study II Study 2: Idle Time, Recovery, and Work Outcomes: Results of Two Experimental Studies II Study 3: Is it Bad Because it is Boring? Effects of Idle Time on Employee Outcomes II Study 4: Can Idle Time Serve as a Resource? A Job Demands-Resources Approach III Conclusion IV References IV Thesen VI Leerlaufzeiten bei der Arbeit VI Studie 1: Auswirkungen von Leerlaufzeiten auf das Wohlbefinden – eine Experiment VII Studie 2: Leerlaufzeit, Erholung und Arbeitsergebnisse: Ergebnisse von zwei experimentellen Studien VII Studie 3: Sind sie schlecht, weil sie langweilig sind? Auswirkungen von Leerlaufzeiten auf Beschäftigte VII Studie 4: Kann Leerlaufzeit als Ressource dienen? Ein Arbeitsanforderungen-Ressourcen-Ansatz VIII Schlussfolgerungen IX Literaturverzeichnis IX Curriculum Vitae XI Publication List XII Selbstständigkeitserklärung XIV Nachweise über die Anteile der Co-Autorschaft: Studie 1 XV Nachweise über die Anteile der Co-Autorschaft: Studie 2 XVI Nachweise über die Anteile der Co-Autorschaft: Studie 3 XVII Nachweise über die Anteile der Co-Autorschaft: Studie 4 XVIII

Although job boredom is increasingly common in the workplace, little research has examined its’ causes. Reducing job boredom has relevance to companies looking to increase the well-being of their employees in addition to their productivity. This study examined what variables are related to and predict job boredom. The Big Five personality traits and job characteristics as defined by Hackman and Oldham specifically, skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback from the job itself were included. A regression analysis revealed that emotional stability, openness and autonomy were significant predictors of boredom. While those were the only variables predictive of boredom, there were other significant correlations as well. These findings suggest that future research should examine the relationships between the variables in this study and control for factors to further gain insight into possible causes of boredom.

Contemporary society perceives boredom largely as a normal part of everyday life. Nevertheless, academic discourse has not come to an agreement on its interpretation. The researchers differ on two main points: first, whether boredom is universal or historically developed phenomenon, and second, whether it is an individual or the external conditions, who is more responsible for the emergence of boredom. This paper reflects on these conceptual difficulties and attempts to elude them by suggesting an alternative, sociologically relevant approach. A new sociological concept of the phenomenon is introduced, based on Martin Heidegger's conceptualization of boredom. Boredom is thereby understood as a specific way, in which individual relates to his/her social environment and its objects. In order to avoid epistemological dilemmas resulting from an imbalanced account, which puts too much emphasis either on subject or its environment, the concept situates boredom's origin and actuation onto the level where subject and its environment meet. The theoretical part of the text is followed by an empirical one, which uses the concept to interpret a specific segment of tourism: organized holidays. This particular model, constructed and offered by travel agencies as a complex product, is understood here as an...

I use video and material fragments to investigate the collapse of virtual and physical spaces as memories, lived environments, and digital interfaces become overlaid and interchangeable. I am interested in the capacity for technology to propose alternative strategies in which to engage with the world as we continue to extend ourselves in new and enduring methods. Seemingly unremarkable fragments offer new potentials in questioning meaning, worth, and care within spaces of downtime, boredom, and play. This document accompanies my thesis exhibition a window the color of her sunburn. It provides background information on selected fragments and residues from my own life alongside philosophical and art historical research, which informs my exhibition.

Many recent experimental studies have shown that some subjects destroy other subjects' incomes without receiving any material benefit, and that they even incur costs to do so. In this paper, we study the boundary conditions of this phenomenon, which is referred to as anti-social behavior. We introduce a four-player destruction game, in which we vary the framing and the presence of another activity, running in parallel to the destruction game. We observe a substantial amount of destruction in the baseline condition without the parallel activity, and with a framing in the spirit of previous destruction experiments. Our results indicate that a parallel activity as well as a framing emphasizing joint ownership of the item that can be destroyed reduces destruction almost to zero. We therefore argue that the emergence of anti-social behavior is highly contingent on the contextual environment. / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

The aim of the thesis is to develop the awareness about the existence of demotivation at English lessons and its possible reasons. Major concepts connected with motivation and demotivation are clarified, along with main demotivating factors at school such as a teacher, student's personality, fear or inadequate use of prize and punishment. The research in the form of a questionnaire realised at a primary and a secondary school was done to describe the degree of demotivation at those schools and to find the reasons for it. It was found out that the degree of demotivation is relatively high, prevalent in boys rather than girls. The main demotivating factors seem to be a teacher, a course book and students' laziness. Also the motivating power of praise was confirmed. It was indicated that demotivation is a serious problem that should be solved and therefore some suggestions how to motivate demotivated pupils are introduced. Key words motivation, demotivation, boredom, fear, teacher, pupils, English language

L’objet de cette thèse est d’explorer le phénomène de l’ennui, en le définissant et en observant son utilisation en contexte scolaire, par l’intermédiaire de la théorie des représentations sociales. En le considérant comme un thêma, producteur de thèmes et de discours, nous en avons dégagé une structure binaire, permettant de justifier les écarts à la norme. Trois études traitent des manifestations de l’ennui chez le corps enseignant, et chez les élèves, mettant à l’épreuve cette structure, et attestant de la significativité de ce phénomène dans le champ scolaire, comme système d’explication, de désengagement et de différenciation. En s’appuyant sur différents contextes et positions scolaires (réussite vs échec ; garçon vs fille), nous avons mesuré dans une troisième étude auprès de Professeur-e-s des Ecoles, ce qu’induit l’ennui dans un relevé de notes, en termes de traits personnologisants, ainsi que les conséquences pédagogiques et didactiques. En complétant pas des données empiriques, ces recherches mettent en évidence une utilisation stratégique de l’ennui comme thêma, permettant de justifier des situations opposées, en proposant un système d’explication en adéquation avec les idéologies dominantes. / The aim of this work is to investigate the phenomenon of boredom, by a definition and an observation of its use in the scholar context, thanks to the social representations theory. Boredom as a thêma produces themes and speeches. We bring brought out a binary structure, allowing us to justifying departures from norms. Three studies deal with teachers and pupils‘s boredom demonstrations, testing this structure and attesting its significance in the scholar context, as an explicative, disengagemental, and differentiation system. Through different scholar contexts and positions (success vs failure and boy vs girl), we assess mesured on a third study nearby primary school teachers, the effects of boredom mentioned on a report card, on personal trait terms, and pedagogical and didactical consequences. We completed our work with empirical data, to emphasize a strategic use of boredom as a thêma, justifying opposed contexts, and offering an explicative system adequate with the dominant ideologies.

Often aligned with post-postmodernism, David Foster Wallace’s later work retreats from the ironic detachment and cynicism of postmodernism in favor of a more sincere approach to writing. This is especially evident in his posthumous novel, The Pale King, a work dealing with what it means to be human in the Information Age. After locating the novel’s setting within a recent history of American masculinity and work, this paper examines several of the novel’s male characters as they struggle to be fully realized boys and men, concluding that The Pale King is Wallace’s final statement that enduring the ennui of modern life is admirable, even heroic.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-11-05T12:59:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriana Meyer Barbuda Gradin.pdf: 1097151 bytes, checksum: d17bb90919633bfdb4d680b5f50b0ee0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-05T12:59:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriana Meyer Barbuda Gradin.pdf: 1097151 bytes, checksum: d17bb90919633bfdb4d680b5f50b0ee0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-14 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / This research starts from the objective of deepening theoretical and clinical thinking about boredom and apathy, symptoms that have been reported in analysis in an increasingly significant number, both by young people, and by adults and children who experience an anesthetized existence, unmotivated and without pleasure; also starts from the enigmas and obstacles experienced in psychoanalytic clinic and aims to group knowledge about boredom and apathy, in order to propose an instrument of clinical management for cases of psychic suffering of individuals marked by such symptoms. It has, therefore, the nature of a psychoanalytic research, of theoretical-clinical order. From the listening of such cases, it is proposed in this work a classification of the manifestations of boredom and apathy, a choice that is made not by ode to the theory, but rather, with the intention of finding subsidies to differentiate each manifestation of the others in order to reflect on the possible clinical management. The appreciation of the symptoms of apathy and boredom is made from some vignettes and clinical cases. In the dissertation, it is also appreciated the performance of the analyst against such impasses. It seeks to understand how analytical management can enable a route of symbolization and access the ability to be alive to the bored or apathetic pacient. It is argued that, in such cases, the analyst should offer a space not only for deciphering verbal contents to meet the purposse of making que repressed material conscious, but, more broadly, to offer a space of continence of nonverbal aspects and forms of unconscious communication. It is maintained that clinical listening of boredom and apathy requires the analyst to adopt an ethics of care: the analysis must be a potential space that can enable an amplification of the analysand's capacity to represent his traumas and psychic pains that had to be silenced; a space that produces a fruitful encounter as well as the work of mourning of the analysand and his works of play and dreaming, so that he can invest in objects and recognize otherness in a non-threatening way / A presente pesquisa parte do objetivo de aprofundamento do pensamento teórico e clínico a respeito do tédio e da apatia, sintomas que vêm sendo relatados em análise em número cada vez mais significativo, tanto por jovens, quanto por adultos e crianças que experimentam uma existência anestesiada, desmotivada e sem prazer; parte dos enigmas e dos obstáculos vivenciados na clínica psicanalítica e tem como propósito agrupar conhecimentos sobre o tédio e a apatia, a fim de propor um instrumental de manejo clínico para casos de sofrimento psíquico de indivíduos marcados por esses sintomas. Ela tem, assim, a natureza de uma pesquisa em psicanálise, de ordem teórico-clínica. A partir da escuta analítica de tais casos, propõe-se neste trabalho uma classificação das modalidades de manifestação do tédio e da apatia, escolha que se faz não por ode à teoria, mas sim, com o intuito de encontrar subsídios para diferenciar cada manifestação das demais a fim de refletir sobre os manejos clínicos possíveis. A apreciação dos sintomas da apatia e do tédio é feita a partir de algumas vinhetas e casos clínicos. Busca-se entender de que forma o manejo analítico pode viabilizar uma rota de simbolização e a capacidade de estar vivo do analisando apático ou entediado. Defende-se que, nesses casos, o analista deve oferecer um espaço não só de decifração de conteúdos verbais para atender ao fim de tornar consciente o material reprimido, mas sim, de forma mais ampla, ofertar um espaço de continência de aspectos não-verbais e de formas de comunicação inconsciente. Sustenta-se que a escuta clínica do tédio e da apatia requer do analista a adoção de uma ética do cuidado: a análise há de ser um espaço potencial que possa viabilizar uma ampliação da capacidade de representação do analisando quanto aos seus traumas e dores psíquicas que tiveram que silenciar; um espaço que produza um encontro frutífero também quanto aos trabalhos de luto do analisando e os seus trabalhos do brincar e do sonhar, para que possa investir em objetos e reconhecer a alteridade de forma não ameaçadora