This thesis examines the formal and conceptual framework of my artistic practice as it culminated in the installation of my thesis exhibition, Prime, Perform, Recover. My exhibition seeks to operate as an analysis and critique of the separation inherent in media presentation and rhetoric surrounding natural disasters. I utilize the aesthetics and vocabulary of disaster capitalism and prepping culture in order to pose direct questions about ecological and social change. I examine the role of images within mass media image production as an all encompassing Now-Time. In this paper I describe frameworks that my practice proposes as potential solutions to these problems, and I position my research in the context of artists and artworks that have influenced me and operate within similar channels as my own.

Stigma proves to be a serious barrier for individuals living with mental illness, and research has shown that the media heavily contribute to and support damaging stereotypes about individuals with mental illness. This study examined how current films feed into fears about mental illness, especially the stereotype that individuals with serious mental illness are violent. A population of films released from 1990--2010 containing a character with schizophrenia or a related disorder was compiled and 30 films were randomly selected for viewing from this list. The films were scored for acts of violence committed by characters with and without mental illness, and the acts of violence were coded for severity. This study found that characters with mental illness committed significantly more acts of violence than characters without mental illness did. The significance of these findings along with recurring themes found in the movies are discussed in this paper.

Literature within the tourism discipline emphasized the importance of destination image due to its effect on both supply and demand sides of marketing. Gunn’s seven-stage model illustrated the process and evolution of image formation of a destination has been used as a guiding model in the study. The purpose of this study is to explore the coherence and the difference between pre-conceived images and post-images of China holding by the North American tourists. Purposive sampling was adapted to reach the target participants who fit the study criteria. Qualitative data were collected from eight interviews with participants from Canada and America. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted during October and November 2011. Essences were developed from the analysis of the interview data by conducting initial coding and focused coding. Findings of the study were concluded into three parts: before visiting China; actual travel experiences; and after visiting China. Consistent with Gunn (1972)’s seven-stage theory, findings of the study showed a clear change between pre-conceived images and post-images holding by participants. Images involved from simple, vague, mythical, and stereotypical to comprehensive, realistic, and holistic. Moreover, advantages and problems of the international tourism in China emerged with the progress of data analysis. The findings reflected the perceptions of China in the eyes of North American tourists; consequently, it could contribute to the future tourism practitioners who aim to promote China to be a desirable international tourism destination.

Traumas such as experiences of military combat, violent personal assault, natural disasters, severe vehicle accidents, being taken as hostage or prisoner, and diagnosis of life threating disease (American Psychiatric Association, 2000) impact every aspect and facet of the lives of trauma survivors including the physical, social, mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual aspects of well-being. Trauma results in avoidance and dissociation, hyperarousal, and intrusion and constriction (Herman, 1997). Trauma may also lead individuals to anxiety, depression, somatization and cognitive distortions (Briere, 2004), disconnection from their bodies (Ogden el al. 2006; van der Kolk, 2006), and getting stuck in the past (van der Kolk et al., 1996). In leisure contexts, trauma may lead to experiencing avoidance, re-enactment in leisure, and the tendency to isolate and fear emotional and physical intimacy with others (Arai, Griffin, Miatello, & Greig, 2008). The foundation of trauma healing is establishing safety, mourning and reconnection with ordinary life (Herman, 1997), reconnection with the body, and being present (Levine, 2010). While cognitive therapy plays a role in trauma healing, somatic approaches provide additional support to reconnection of body and mind. Somatically-oriented therapies support trauma survivors to acquire a sense of safety and mastery over their bodies and to heal disconnection that results from trauma exposure (van der Kolk, 2003). The promise of interventions integrating body-mind in healing and support various mental health issues are growing and research is showing positive results. There is growing evidence of the role of physically-active leisure in healing trauma (Arai, Mock & Gallant, 2011). Yoga has been supported by a number of studies as a therapeutic intervention for both psychological and physiological conditions associated with trauma (Emerson & Hopper, 2011; Emerson, Sharma, Chaudhry, & Turner, 2009; The Trauma Centre, 2013; van der Kolk, 2012; Ware, 2007) and posttraumatic stress disorder (Descilo et al., 2007; Emerson et al., 2009; van der Kolk, 2012). Yoga originated over 5000 years ago in India and is a holistic and comprehensive system of practice and wellbeing that creates individuality, space, and opening allowing the self to be in the body without judgment. According to Iyengar (2002), yoga lifts up from clutches of pain and sorrow, and enables to live fully, taking a delight in life. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the meanings and experiences of yoga for trauma survivors. Phenomenology attempts to capture participants’ perception of lived experience, plunging deep into the nature of being to embrace a mindful wondering about a project of life, of living, of what it means to live a life (van Manen, 2001). The study engaged thirteen individuals who experienced trauma and had been practicing yoga for at least five years in phenomenological interviews using open and active interview questions. Research questions guiding my study were: What is the nature of the yoga experience? What meanings do people who have experienced trauma make of this experience? What happens in the yoga experience that is healing? The findings emerged in the form of four essences describing the yoga experiences of participants: moving from the darkness of trauma into the light of yoga and living, entering into safe and sacred spaces, letting go into yoga and returning to embodiment of self, and embracing creativity and connection beyond the mat. Through the light that yoga brought into the darkness of the lives of the participants, they realized they are far more than just the trauma they experienced. This light allowed them know and touch the light within, feel safe again, reclaim their connection with self, befriending their bodies while being present in the moment and know the trauma has already happened and they do not have to stay there.

Identity development is a crucial process which occurs during the period of adolescence (Erikson, 1950, 1968). Researchers have suggested that the adolescent period is becoming prolonged due to increasing numbers of individuals pursuing post-secondary education (Kerckhoff, 2002; Larson, 2002; Mortimer & Larson, 2002). During this period known as “post-adolescence”, further identity formation is believed to take place (Mortimer & Larson, 2002). Despite these suggestions, little research has been performed regarding identity development during post-adolescence. In addition, the role of leisure during the identity formation period has largely been overlooked. The few studies that have been conducted on this topic focus on the relationship between leisure participation and identity development, while failing to acknowledge the role of other salient leisure lifestyle variables such as leisure experience, motivation and meaningfulness. In addition, previous studies have used global measures of identity, rather than considering separate dimensions of personal and social identity. The present study expands upon previous literature by investigating personal and social identity development during post-adolescence, and the relationship between identity and a variety of leisure lifestyle variables. Participants included 465 students from the University of Waterloo. Questionnaires were completed regarding leisure participation, meaningfulness derived from participation, leisure experience, motivation and identity. Results of the study indicate that identity development is still occurring during the period of post-adolescence. Leisure participation, meaningfulness, leisure experience and motivation all displayed some degree of a relationship with identity. Personal and social identities yielded differing associations with these leisure lifestyle factors. Personal identity was most strongly related to leisure experience, while social identity was associated with leisure motivation. Although causality cannot be inferred from the results of this study, indications do exist that these leisure lifestyle variables may exert some influence on the identity development process.

Within North America, more children are being classified as overweight and obese than ever before. Despite this alarming finding, limited research has been conducted on parents’ views of their children’s health in addition to their role in providing their children with a healthy lifestyle The purpose of this qualitative investigation was to explore parents’ perceptions of their daughters’ healthy lifestyle, including their perceptions of their roles and responsibilities as parents. Participants were recruited from three Girl Guides of Canada Brownie Units in South-Western Ontario. Ten semi-structured, audio-taped interviews were conducted. All of the parents who volunteered to participate were middle class, well-educated, heterosexual, married and/ or common-law and had two to three children. Among those who were interviewed, one married couple took part together, and the remaining eight mothers and one father took part in individual interviews. Many of the participants had experienced problems with maintaining a healthy weight themselves and/or healthy lifestyle in the past. A phenomenological approach was taken by following Hychner’s (1985) steps, including; bracketing my assumptions, listening for a sense of the ‘whole’, delineating units of general meaning, eliminating redundancies and outlining themes that captured the essence of lives experience for parents. Similar to Mannell and Kleiber’s (1997) findings, participants in this study played an influential role in helping their children develop healthy behaviours that would carry on throughout their lives. All of the mothers and fathers interviewed were involved parents and were very committed to instilling healthy behaviors in their daughters. In line with Hays (1996) and Warner (2005), mothers in this study adopted ‘intensive mothering roles’ and fathers’ behaviors reflected ‘involved parenting’ roles. Participants in this study deemed physical, mental and psychological health as important factors which contribute to a healthy lifestyle, but focused most of their discussions on their roles and responsibilities in their daughters’ physical health. A strong emphasis on their daughters’ weight management was conveyed throughout interviews, as many participants, especially mothers, were concerned with their daughter’s perception of body image and self-esteem. As they embraced their parental duties, they acted as role models to their children and spent time during family leisure activities and family meals teaching their daughters about the importance of physical activity and nutrition. Similar to Shaw and Dawson’s (2001) study, family leisure was seen as purposive, with a strong focus placed on health. Parents in this study made their daughters’ health a top priority by investing their time and finances for this goal, while remaining firm and consistent in encouraging healthy behaviours in their children. Despite the time and effort devoted to providing healthy lifestyles, many participants felt insecure and questioned whether or not they were doing enough. These characteristics displayed by participants were similar to Warner’s (2005) concept of ‘professionalization of parenthood’. This study has provided valuable insight to the fields of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Family Studies, and Obesity Prevention literature.

Millions of vacationers are taking a cruise each year and nearly one-third are senior tourists. There is little attention to this sector in the literature. This qualitative study reveals some of the motivations and satisfactions of ten retired seniors who were recently on a cruise. The interviews were transcribed to capture precise wordings of their motivations and satisfactions and then analyzed by phrases. These were open, then axially coded according to a conceptual theory, into three stages: a pre-cruise stage of planning and expectations, the experiences on board a cruise ship through activities and excursions, and the post-cruise stage of satisfaction. The phrases were selective coded into three themes. The findings reveal that the most important feature of a cruise is interaction within them, with their companions, and with others they may meet. Friends, relatives, and the ship's crew add to this interaction. Second, there is a balance of opportunities and constraints incurred while achieving the goal of a cruise. Third, it was found that there are multiple sources of satisfaction from a cruise. This study provides insight into what cruising means to seniors, the effect of interaction with others, and their internal interactions. The experience of a cruise becomes an event that leaves a memorable impression for years to come.

Through the assistance of the Internet, public organizations can create lasting relationships with citizens in an individualized and interactive manner. The purpose of this study was to obtain a preliminarily understanding of the Web Presence of public leisure service agencies (PLSA) in Canada. Currently very little is known about the use of Internet Communication within PLSA. A stratified random sample of ten Canadian municipal Web sites helped to generate 100 content units from which a quantitative content analysis was conducted. Utilizing a marketing perspective, the analysis assessed the marketing communication efforts, design, electronic service quality, and interaction standards of these sites. Findings suggested that the evidence of marketing and communication efforts were quite limited while the design and navigational features, although basic, were well executed. The results indicated that most PLSA online communication is rather limited, focusing on providing basic information regarding programs, services, facilities and events. In the future, this is expected to change. In general, PLSA appear to recognize the importance of online communication. However, a re-definition of communication strategies may be needed for better implementation. It is suggested that these strategies should encompass the underlying goal of creating a relationship with citizens.

Governance is widely discussed in various government sectors or agencies such as Health Care and Education and throughout the private sector. Yet, it is only recently that reference to governance with regards to parks and protected areas has come to the for-front within various political and ecological circles. Parks and protected areas are increasingly threatened by climate change and political influences and therefore, there is a current need to assess the design and operations of protected areas so that they can be properly managed for the changes that have and will continue to occur. The current study examined how five stakeholder groups perceived 12 governance factors under Ontario Parks’ management model. Results revealed that Ontario Parks’ management model is perceived as having good levels of governance for all 12 factors by the entire population and within each of the five stakeholder groups. Differences in perception were observed primarily between the Park Staff participants when compared to the Contractor and Local Resident participants

Identity development is a crucial process which occurs during the period of adolescence (Erikson, 1950, 1968). Researchers have suggested that the adolescent period is becoming prolonged due to increasing numbers of individuals pursuing post-secondary education (Kerckhoff, 2002; Larson, 2002; Mortimer & Larson, 2002). During this period known as “post-adolescence”, further identity formation is believed to take place (Mortimer & Larson, 2002). Despite these suggestions, little research has been performed regarding identity development during post-adolescence. In addition, the role of leisure during the identity formation period has largely been overlooked. The few studies that have been conducted on this topic focus on the relationship between leisure participation and identity development, while failing to acknowledge the role of other salient leisure lifestyle variables such as leisure experience, motivation and meaningfulness. In addition, previous studies have used global measures of identity, rather than considering separate dimensions of personal and social identity. The present study expands upon previous literature by investigating personal and social identity development during post-adolescence, and the relationship between identity and a variety of leisure lifestyle variables. Participants included 465 students from the University of Waterloo. Questionnaires were completed regarding leisure participation, meaningfulness derived from participation, leisure experience, motivation and identity. Results of the study indicate that identity development is still occurring during the period of post-adolescence. Leisure participation, meaningfulness, leisure experience and motivation all displayed some degree of a relationship with identity. Personal and social identities yielded differing associations with these leisure lifestyle factors. Personal identity was most strongly related to leisure experience, while social identity was associated with leisure motivation. Although causality cannot be inferred from the results of this study, indications do exist that these leisure lifestyle variables may exert some influence on the identity development process.