Physical Activity Relationship (PAR)

Abstract

This article presents a concept and an approach for analysing and understanding an individual's relationship to physical culture. Physical activity relationship (PAR) is a concept by which sport and physical activities are approached as a cultural part of life to which all of us have a relationship. According to Unruh (1980) we live in many different social worlds at the same time and based on his classification we have different roles in these social worlds. We can be strangers, tourists, regulars or insiders. The deeper we are involved in a certain social world the better we see and understand the meanings of this world. Sport and physical activities can be conceptualized as such a social world. The relationship which describes how we encounter this world and its culture is referred to here as PAR. This article suggests that although there is clear interest in personal physical activity by the field of sport and exercise science, PAR also covers three other dimensions: following, producing and consuming the meanings of sport and physical activities. Arguably, the PAR framework may be able to offer insights for those seeking to establish sport, exercise and physical activity as fundamental aspects of a healthy lifestyle and core feature of contemporary identity formation.