119 
been stated (and sometimes overstated) by many writers. These 
“sensory overloads” have particularly severe effects on the low-income, 
less mobile groups that now dominate the central cities. Here the 
sensory overload is compounded by extreme crowding and oppressive 
living conditions, by widespread nutritional inadequacies, and by 
the frustrations of unemployment, drug addiction, and high crime 
rates. Today most Americans, when given the opportunity to diminish 
this overload through a change of routine, “will spend a summer 
afternoon in a suburban backyard around a barbecue, in a city park, 
or at the nearest swimming pool or beach. Given the chance and the 
means for a weekend or a vacation away from home, they will take 
to the country, the mountains, or the seashore.’’ 7° 
Having established that health can best be understood as a product 
of the interaction between an individual and the total physical and 
social environment that he experiences, and recognizing some of the 
impediments to the maintenance of a healthy sociological balance in 
this interaction with present-day society, we must now ask: what part 
can outdoor recreation play in helping the individual maintain this 
balance so vital to his mental health and physical well-being? While 
there are obvious positive benefits to be derived from outdoor recrea- 
tional activity by many persons, it should not be pointed to as a 
panacea for the many ills of society. Herbert Gans has presented * 
the most incisive approach to the issue: 
I am saying that leisure and recreation are a consistuent part of mental health, 
but they cannot by themselves bring about mental health, cure mental illness, 
or prevent it * * * they are essential and desirable, but they are not so important 
as economic opportunity and security, positive family life, education, the avail- 
ability of a variety of primary and secondary group support, and the like * * * 
{however] the recognition of the limited significance of outdoor recreation in the 
treatment of personality disorders should not blind us to the potential significance 
of it for developing and sustaining healthy personalities. Indeed, we may find 
that recreation, especially outdoor recreation, provides one of the most promising 
approaches to the elusive goal of mental health as a form of “primary prevention” 
of mental ill health. 
We have concluded that the arguments for the psychological and 
emotional need for outdoor recreation may have been overstated. 
Each individual takes a different view of recreation depending on 
his preference and personality, is conditioned by his physical and 
economic environment, and is influenced by his age and sex. From 
this we can see that the collection of more extensive data on leisure 
behavior is immensely important. “If we can discover what needs 
‘and aspirations people are trying to fulfill and can recognize what 
may be blocking or frustrating their quest, we can understand better 
what provisions to make for future recreation. Also, we may find 
some clues to the meaning of outdoor recreation for the individual 
personality and its significance for mental health.” *’ 
How then are we to plan for outdoor recreation? It is clear now 
outdoor recreation presents a wide variety of sociological questions 
of long-term policy and many subtle problems not easy to define 
or resolve. Yet it seems undeniable that recreational activity has 
‘great social significance and personal value for millions of American 
25 Melvin M. Webber, et al., ‘‘Trends in American Living and Outdoor Recreation,”” ORRRC Study 
‘Report No. 22, p. 249 (1962). 
26 Tbid., reference 21; p. 112. 
27 Thid., reference 23; p. 220. 
