Play as a Basic Pathway to the Self - An Interview with Thomas S. Henricks

Oct 15, 2026

An interview with Thomas S. Henricks explores how play shapes human experience across the life course, beginning with early childhood games and extending into organized sports and social relationships. Henricks describes play as social bonding, a way to evaluate abilities among others, and a mechanism for learning inclusion, exclusion, and collective governance. He also connects play to sociological inquiry through rituals, communitas, and the symbolic “identity ceremonies” embedded in sports and community life.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Interview: Early Play and Social Meaning

Childhood games and social bonding

Sports, friendship, and community connections

Studying Play Through Sociology and Rituals

Victor Turner and communitas

Sports as identity ceremonies

Play as a Basic Pathway to the Self An Interview with Thomas S. Henricks 􀁿omas S. Henricks is the J. Earl Danieley Professor of Sociology and Distinguished University Professor at Elon University. Since receiving his doctorate in sociology at the University of Chicago, Henricks has investigated the sociology of sports from the fandom of modern American professional wrestling to the relationship between sports and social strati􀂀cation in preindustrial England. Currently his interests include social theory, modernization and change, popular culture, race and ethnic relations, and, especially, the physiological, environmental, social, cultural, and psychological relationships that shape behavior and experience in sports and play. His Play and the Human Condition appeared in 2015. His other books include Disputed Pleasures: Sport and Society in Preindustrial England; Play Reconsidered: Sociological Perspectives on Human Pleasure; and Selves, Societies, and Emotions: Understanding the Pathways of Experience. Henricks also writes a blog “􀁿e Pathways of Experience” for Psychology Today, focusing on the nature of human play and other main avenues of human expression: work, ritual, and the civic spirit of celebration he calls communitas. In this interview, Henricks discusses the study of play and notes how play gives both scholars and players away of understanding human potential individually, in small social circles, and in larger communities. Key words: communitas; leisure as play; play and emotions; play scholars; play studies; ritual; social experience; sport and play; work American Journal of Play: Please tell us about your early play experiences and what you remember most about the way you played as a child? !omas Henricks: Most people have a play trajectory that begins early and continues, with ebbs and !ows, throughout life. My own early play experiences are not that remarkable, but they did help determine the person I became. And they remain a valued part of my identity. Growing up in the 1950s, I was one of four children in a family strongly committed to playing games of every type. Whatever the pleasures ofthe particular activity, it was clear 271 American Journal of Play, volume 7, number 3 © 􀁿e Strong Contact 􀁿omas Henricks [at henriks@elon.edu](at henriks@elon.edu) to all of us that this was an important focus for our family. Whether the occasion was ping pong, canasta, Rook, or badminton, play was a chance to evaluate one’s abilities in the context of others and, in that sense, to sort through the meanings of relationships. More importantly, it was a form of social bonding. And the sometimes not so gentle teasing that accompanied that process was a way of toughening oneself in the face of disappointment, of being allowed to provoke those who were normally one’s superiors, and of recognizing that enduring relationships transcend moments of di\#culty. My older brother and I are quite close in age. To some extent, we played ourselves through childhood. Games were also opportunities to establish cross-generational connections. We played a lot of board and card games with one of our grandmothers, and I remember that as one of the most pleasant aspects of my youth. Even today, I play Scrabble with my mother when we visit, or we work the newspaper’s crossword puzzle or Cryptoquote together. Like many boys (and now girls as well), school sports were an important aspect of my life. In part, this meant an opportunity (besides classroom activity) to work through what Erik Erikson describes as a life-stage tension between industry and inferiority. Once again, however, the chief pleasure of playing games was the social relationships these generated. On the 􀂀eld of play, our group established friendships with people we might not otherwise meet. We learned what it meant to oppose and cooperate. We practiced inclusion and exclusion and instituted collective governance. 􀁿at fundamentally sociological interest has always b

FAQs

How does Henricks describe play in early childhood?

He explains that people often have a play trajectory that starts early and continues through life. Although his early play was not unusual, it helped shape his identity and social relationships with siblings and peers.

Why were school sports important to Henricks?

Henricks says school sports provided a friendship base and a way to connect with the wider community. He also frames organized sports as both socialization vehicles and opportunities for skills development.

What drew Henricks to studying play in sociology?

He links his interest to the connection between sports, rituals, and communal bonding, emphasizing the role of symbolic challenge and status transformation. He credits Victor Turner’s view of rituals as dynamic symbolic events that often include play and communitas.

Oct 15, 2026

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