Affective experience in play: phenomenological approach

Abstract

Playful activity has different meaning for each person. In play every life experience and ability matter. If we agree that play is an affective state, or an embodied state of mind (Shields, 2015), we can analyse early playful experience as memories. The aim of this phenomenological study was to capture the meaning of playful activity that adults remember having in early childhood. Six participants were interviewed about their brightest experience of play. Every story was transformed into an anecdote and revealed authentic meaning of play experience. Usually play theorists acknowledge play as a happy state (Henricks, 2015), but results in this study show a variety of feelings that accompany play. Playful activities start with fun and happy feelings, but may end in absolute contrast. Participants talk about brotherhood and betrayal, emotional self-regulation and disorganization, being honest and feeling remorse. In sum, play activities in early childhood are already complex experience, not only a happy state of mind. This makes an argument that play has the power to build personal character by presenting contrasting affective experiences.