Adventure Experience Paradigm

Question 1

What are the two main elements of the adventure experience paradigm?

Answer 1

• Competence of the individual
• Degree of Difficulty

Question 2

What are the five stages?

Answer 2

• Exploration & Experimentation
• Adventure
• Peak Adventure
• Misadventure
• Devastation & Disaster

Question 3

Exploration & Experimentation

Answer 3

• Where the task is easy.
• The individual may find time to pause or experiment with the task.

Eg. Todd abseiling, is
comfortable with the
task, able to relax and
have a photo taken etc.

Question 4

Adventure

Answer 4

An experience where the individual is
placing themselves at risk and when the
outcome is uncertain.

A climber’s attention becomes more
focussed on climbing, they become more
aware of whether or not they can climb
the route or not.

Question 5

Peak Adventure

Answer 5

• The difficulty of the task is equal to that of the competence of the individual creating optimal arousal, resulting in maximal performance.
• Described by Csikzentmihalyi (1975) as a flow experience where “action and awareness merge” and there exists a “loss of ego….loss of self-consciousness…”
• Martin states “Research into what motivates people to undertake risk laden adventurous activities indicates that a search for the intensity of emotion and involvement, the
  characteristics of peak adventure are prime motivators for participation.”
• Basically Flow
• The likelihood of achieving peak adventure is less as it is often difficult to evenly match personal competence with the difficulty of the task.

Question 6

Misadventure

Answer 6

Mortlock (1984) reckons it to be a state
of mind where the immediate reactions
are negative rather than positive.

The challenge becomes too difficult for
the individual.

It may also be social, emotional,
physical, or financial.

Question 7

Devastation & Disaster

Answer 7

The degree of difficulty is far
greater than that of individual’s
competence.

An extension of Misadventure
where serious harm or death
may result.

Question 8

Perceived vs Real

Answer 8

A beginning skier perceives the difficulty
of a blue run to be adequate to his
competence as he is generally good at
sports and the authorities usually
overestimate the runs.

In fact he has overestimated his
competence as he has never really tried
any sport slightly similar to skiing. He
has also underestimated the difficulty of
the task, resulting him careering out of
control into a tree (misadventure).