I'm trying to locate research that can help me understand why people
engage voluntarily in risky activities. There is plenty of research on
how people estimate risks (environmental and behavioral), personality
characteristics (e.g., sensation seeking) and even risky behavior (not
using a seat belt, not using birth control, etc). However, I'm
interested in understanding why people chose to engage in risky sports
(e.g., hanggliding, ultralight flying, skidiving, etc.). I can't find
much of anything on psyc info or sociofiles (I'm familiar with Stephen
Lyng's work on "edgeworkers"). Do any of you have any suggestions about
literatures that might address why people voluntarily engage in
dangerous leisure activities.
Marie
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Marie Helweg-Larsen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Transylvania University
300 North Broadway
Lexington, KY 40508-1797
Office: (859) 281-3656
Web page: http://www.transy.edu/homepages/mhelweglarsen/index2.html
