Torrent Flow The Psychology Of Optimal Experience Theory

1. Flow The Psychology Of Optimal Experience …
2. Theory Of Flow

The second volume in the collected works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi covers about thirty years of Csikszentmihalyi‘s work on three main and interconnected areas of study: attention, flow and positive psychology. Describing attention as psychic energy, and in the footsteps of William James, Csikszentmihalyi explores the allocation of attention, the when and where and the amount of attention humans pay to tasks and the role of attention in creating ‘experiences’, or ordered patterns of information. Taking into account information processing theories and attempts at quantifying people’s investment, the chapters deal with such topics as time budgets, and the development and use of the Experience Sampling Method of collecting data on attention in everyday life. Following the chapters on attention, and reflecting Csikszentmihalyi’s branching out into sociology and anthropology, there are chapters on the topic of adult play and leisure, and connected to that, on flow, a concept formulated and developed by Csikszentmihalyi. Flow has become a popular concept in business and management around the world, and research on the concept continues to flourish. Finally, this volume contains articles that stem from Csikszentmihalyi’s connection with Martin Seligman; they deal with concepts and theories, as well as with the development and short history, of the field and the “movement” of positive psychology.

Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of 'optimal experience' have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life.

In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi demonst Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's famous investigations of 'optimal experience' have revealed that what makes an experience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow. During flow, people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life. In this new edition of his groundbreaking classic work, Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates the ways this positive state can be controlled, not just left to chance. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience teaches how, by ordering the information that enters our consciousness, we can discover true happiness and greatly improve the quality of our lives.

My notes, including liberal use of direct quotes: 8 elements of enjoyment: 1. Confront challenging but completable tasks 2. Concentration 3.

Clear goals 4. Immediate feedback 5. Deep, effortless involvement (lack of awareness of worries and frustrations) 6.

Sense of control over actions 7. Concern for self disappears (paradoxically awareness of self is heightened immediately after flow) 8. Sense of duration of time is altered 5 elements of happy teenagers' growing up: 1. Centering: pare My notes, including liberal use of direct quotes: 8 elements of enjoyment: 1.

Confront challenging but completable tasks 2. Concentration 3. Clear goals 4. Immediate feedback 5.

Deep, effortless involvement (lack of awareness of worries and frustrations) 6. Sense of control over actions 7. Concern for self disappears (paradoxically awareness of self is heightened immediately after flow) 8. Sense of duration of time is altered 5 elements of happy teenagers' growing up: 1. Centering: parents' interest in the child in that moment 3. Commitment 5.

Challenge: parents provide appropriate challenges for their children Quadrants of flow: Goal: High challenge, high skill Low challenge, high skill = boredom Low skill, high challenge = anxiety Roger Callois: Four kinds of play 1. Agon: competition 2. Alea: games of chance 3. Ilinx: vetigo, disorienting pleasures 4. Mimicry Yoga 1. Yama: restraint 2. Niyama: obedience 3.

Asana: sitting 4. Pranayama: breath control 5. Pratyahara: withdrawal; ability to see, feel, and hear at will 6. Dharana: holding on; concentrate on single stimulus (opp.

Dhyana: intense meditation (sans external object of 6) 8. Samadhi: self-collectedness The goal of loss of self is opposite of flow, but the first 7 steps yield greater self-control similar to flow. These 7 steps can be applied in various contexts, with other ultimate goals. Music, Food: Consume passively or savor actively?

Memorize facts not to memorize, but to gain understanding and contextualized knowledge. Applying scientific reasoning, mathematical thinking, is viewed as a pleasurable game by experts in the field. How can I encourage this intrinsic enjoyment in my students??? Question: The Bible states that work is a punishment for sin. Is our current ability to specialize jobs a gift of systemic cooperation?

Maybe for fortunate people like me who love my work, but certainly not for everyone. Transformational (not regressive) coping:' 'If one operates with unselfconscious assurance, and remains open to the environment and involved in it, a solution is likely to emerge.' Autotelic self: 1. Setting goals 2. Becoming immersed in the activity 3.

Paying attention to what is happening 4. Learning to enjoy immediate experience How does someone stay relaxed under extreme pressure? 'There is nothing to it. We don't get upset because we believe that our life is in God's hands, and whatever He decides will be fine with us.'

Significant childhood pain can lead to a well-adjusted adult's lifelong theme of service to correct the injustice. This book appears to assume an intrapersonal learning style (NF?). My favorite part of finishing books is both posting a brief review here, to track my own thoughts and progress, but sometimes to stumble across a bril My favorite part of finishing books is both posting a brief review here, to track my own thoughts and progress, but sometimes to stumble across a brilliant summary and digested thoughts about the book, and share a knowing chuckle with the community about good literature. Thanks; your review, and these comments achieve all that. August, 23:31 Uhr. This is quite possibly the most important book I have ever read. Consider it the official 'Handbook on Happiness.'

Part science and part philosophy, it essentially defines happiness itself, then proceeds to explain in detail how we can attain it every waking moment of our lives (hypothetically at least). Although far from a 'light read,' I found the intense mental concentration the book demanded to be almost physically pleasurable (yes, I am in fact the very definition of a nerd). When I closed This is quite possibly the most important book I have ever read. Consider it the official 'Handbook on Happiness.' Part science and part philosophy, it essentially defines happiness itself, then proceeds to explain in detail how we can attain it every waking moment of our lives (hypothetically at least). Although far from a 'light read,' I found the intense mental concentration the book demanded to be almost physically pleasurable (yes, I am in fact the very definition of a nerd). When I closed the book, I immediately begged my dad for his extra copy-just so I could go back through and underline the passages I will need to revisit from now until the day I die.

If you are unhappy, anxious, or generally dissatisfied with the direction of your life, follow this pattern: (1) read the book's scientific assessment of happiness (or at least my summary below), (2) determine what element of 'flow' is missing in your life, and (3) fix it! Thanks to this reading experience, I'm on to step #3 now. I feel enlightened with a unique self-understanding, convinced of the possibility of attaining happiness, and determined to eventually experience constant 'flow.'

If you don't have the time and energy the book requires, read my gross oversimplification of Mr. C's genius below: WHAT IS HAPPINESS? A human being experiences happiness to the extent that he can mentally order his consciousness and fight off chaos (what Mr.

C refers to as 'psychic entropy'). This explains why animals (and people who fight daily for their own basic survival) experience almost constant flow. The meaning of their lives, the focus of their energy, is simple. It might not be enjoyable, but it's simple. We spoiled, idle folk are the ones whining on couches about the lack of fulfillment and happiness in our lives. Because we are overwhelmed by so many complicated concerns that we don't know where to focus our psychic energy. WHAT IS FLOW?

Here's the crux of the book. While it examines overall 'happiness' briefly, it is more concerned with how to truly enjoy the everyday moments of life.

C refers to the process of “losing yourself” and experiencing Buddha-like enlightenment/self-actualization as a state of “flow.” Everyone—from professional athletes to chess masters and punk street kids—recalls a moment in which they seemed to disappear as a person, entirely immersed in the activity in which they were engaged (this differs greatly from drug use and other chemically altering activities, which are temporary fixes for those desperately needing to experience “flow”). 'While humankind collectively has increased its material powers a thousandfold, it has not advanced very far in terms of improving the content of experience.' - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow I found this book very intriguing. It made me think a lot, especially on what it means to be happy and satisfied. This is not a self-help manual and the reason I picked it up despite it's self-helpy title and cover is because I had read some of Csikszentmihalyi's stuff in my developmental psychology course an 'While humankind collectively has increased its material powers a thousandfold, it has not advanced very far in terms of improving the content of experience.' - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow I found this book very intriguing.

It made me think a lot, especially on what it means to be happy and satisfied. This is not a self-help manual and the reason I picked it up despite it's self-helpy title and cover is because I had read some of Csikszentmihalyi's stuff in my developmental psychology course and found him very insightful. I was definitely not disappointed. The author defines flow as 'the process of achieving happiness through control over our inner life.' It's funny because I was talking to someone who was pro-cosmetic surgery and they were surprised that I was so against it (barring for reconstructive use). My argument was people do it because they believe they will be happy and it can eventually become an addiction.

Flow The Psychology Of Optimal Experience …

Maybe my argument was under-developed but I think this book supported my view. A link to the author's TED talk. You know that uncle you have, who doesn't have any kids and loves to talk your ear off every Thanksgiving, and he's a really nice guy, and he seems to know a lot of stuff, but when you look up the stuff he quotes he seems to always have it a bit off, and he never seems to have a book with him so maybe he did all his reading when he was young, but there's no point calling bullshit on him, and you get a sense he's not really listening anyway - well, this book is written by that guy. This could ha You know that uncle you have, who doesn't have any kids and loves to talk your ear off every Thanksgiving, and he's a really nice guy, and he seems to know a lot of stuff, but when you look up the stuff he quotes he seems to always have it a bit off, and he never seems to have a book with him so maybe he did all his reading when he was young, but there's no point calling bullshit on him, and you get a sense he's not really listening anyway - well, this book is written by that guy.

This could have been an excellent 10 000 words, but I'm now 3 chapters in without any idea of what his plan is and how he can tell one chapter or sub-chapter from the next. I get what 'Flow' is and it's great and I'm all-in. But this is diarrhea. How must you live your life? Live it in happiness. But how to be happy? When I was a small boy I would often be missing my father for two straight days only to find out that he had been playing mahjong with friends nonstop for 48 or so hours, not getting tired, or sleepy or even hungry (despite the lack of proper meals).

The game is played by a group of four, and when my mother would send me to check my father out from wherever part of the neighbourhood they’ve set up their mahjong table to play, How must you live your life? Live it in happiness. But how to be happy? When I was a small boy I would often be missing my father for two straight days only to find out that he had been playing mahjong with friends nonstop for 48 or so hours, not getting tired, or sleepy or even hungry (despite the lack of proper meals). The game is played by a group of four, and when my mother would send me to check my father out from wherever part of the neighbourhood they’ve set up their mahjong table to play, I’d see them still going at it seemingly still with full energy and attention, as if they have just begun their sessions.

Theory Of Flow

I never learned to play mahjong. But I got into my father’s second favourite game: chess. I’ve experienced playing chess games starting Saturday noontime and stopping only at noontime of the next day, Sunday. Never feeling any discomfort, tiredness or the lack of sleep.

This is called THE FLOW—the secret of happiness, a state of concentration so focused that it amounts to absolute absorption in an activity. Expand the scope of this “flow” and prolong it. Imagine yourself being in the “flow” until the day you die. Then you could say—regardless of your station in life—that you’ve lived life to the fullest.

A quote from the book: “happiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It is not something that money can buy or power command. It does not depend on outside event, but, rather, on how we interpret them.

Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any of us can come to being happy. “Yet we cannot reach happiness by consciously searching for it. ‘Ask yourself whether you are happy,’ said J.S. Mill, ‘and you cease to be so.’ It is by being fully involved with every detail of our lives, whether good or bad, that we find happiness, not by trying to look for it directly. Viktor Frankl, the Austrian psychologist, summarised it beautifully in the preface to his book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’: ‘Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it.

For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensueas the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a course greater than oneself.”. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi created the notion of 'flow' to describe the experience which we have all had - but all too rarely for most of us - of becoming so immersed in and challenged by an experience that we lose track of time, our own self-concsciousness and feel most fully engaged in life. Interestingly, he found, this has little to do with people's most enjoyable leisure activities. Folks love to watch TV and movies, eat dinner with friends and so forth, but rarely does that achieve a state Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi created the notion of 'flow' to describe the experience which we have all had - but all too rarely for most of us - of becoming so immersed in and challenged by an experience that we lose track of time, our own self-concsciousness and feel most fully engaged in life.

Interestingly, he found, this has little to do with people's most enjoyable leisure activities. Folks love to watch TV and movies, eat dinner with friends and so forth, but rarely does that achieve a state of flow. Doing work or an avocation we love, or - for some of us, reading a really good book:) - creates flow, where the experience is just challenging enough that it pulls us beyond our usual limits. Given the attention this book has received I had some pretty lofty expectations.

Sadly, those expectations weren't met. Part of the problem is that 'Flow' is widely cited by the current crop of pop-pscyhology books. For that reason I felt like I got the idea of 'flow' long before I even cracked C's book. My 'heard it all before' feeling wasn't helped by the redundancy that C builds into his text. Authors and editors take note, one really good example or analogy is usually enough to illustrate a Given the attention this book has received I had some pretty lofty expectations. Sadly, those expectations weren't met. Part of the problem is that 'Flow' is widely cited by the current crop of pop-pscyhology books.

For that reason I felt like I got the idea of 'flow' long before I even cracked C's book. My 'heard it all before' feeling wasn't helped by the redundancy that C builds into his text. Authors and editors take note, one really good example or analogy is usually enough to illustrate a concept. Two might be helpful, but any more than that and you've reached the point of diminishing returns.

Another issue I had with the book was the way research was presented. C insists early in the book that he's not writing an academic work. For that reason he explains that research won't be cited in the usual way.

The idea is that he'll spare lay readers the boredom that comes from a lot of high-handed academic jargon. One problem with this approach is that it makes 'Flow' come off sounding much more fluffy and self-helpy than I expect it really is. Another problem with this approach is that today's readers have come to expect a certain amount of academic rigor in their pop-psychology and sociology books. Writers like Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Pink, Jonah Leher, Steven Johnson and a host of other have found effective methods of integrating academic studies in a manner that's neither too daunting nor too pedantic. 'Flow', by contrast, eschews this approach and suffers for it.

In C's defense, 'Flow' was written almost two decades ago, long before many of the aforementioned authors were even through grade school. Csikszentmihalyi's seminal work in the field of positive psychology reveals a man with a ridiculously hard to spell last name. I can't be the first person to posit this as the reason why he became so interested in how people overcome mental chaos (psychic entropy as it is called in the book) to achieve harmony and, I almost typed satisfaction but that would be missing the point.

Csikszentmihalyi (hereafter referred to as Mr. C) actually prescribes against a state of perpetual satisfaction becaus Csikszentmihalyi's seminal work in the field of positive psychology reveals a man with a ridiculously hard to spell last name. I can't be the first person to posit this as the reason why he became so interested in how people overcome mental chaos (psychic entropy as it is called in the book) to achieve harmony and, I almost typed satisfaction but that would be missing the point.

Csikszentmihalyi (hereafter referred to as Mr. C) actually prescribes against a state of perpetual satisfaction because in order for humans to experience the full measure of life they must find the balance between external challenges and their own skill sets. In pursuing challenges that match your skill set you will continually add to your skill set and thus seek new challenges.

This harmony will both be created by and result in what he calls flow: the full immersion of the attention in each moment and action of life. Well written throughout, I found the end of the book the most compelling. C shows us the long view and addresses the synthesis of the various aspects of flow into a harmonious life. He focuses one section on life's meaning. Now, if your life has been infused with meaning by or through religion, you might not find this section as compelling as the others. Me, I've struggled to see the meaning of life. And by struggled, I mean that in my post-adolescence I've been largely satisfied to answer the question, 'What is the meaning of life?'

, with a shrug and a mumble and a, 'Please pass the jelly.' I don't know and I don't care. But my kids keep harping on about it. And when they were younger I could get away with things like, 'The meaning of life is it is time for your nap.' Or, 'The meaning of life is pick up your sh!t. I just stepped on another Lego.' But now they are getting older and these things don't work.

So, it is nice to have options. C presents an interesting one.

The meaning of life is meaning. Life doesn't come with a universal meaning. But that doesn't mean you can't give it one. So the purpose of your life is to give it some meaning. It speaks to the part of me that likes to do it myself. My kids liked it. Everyone was happy.

Then I stepped on a Lego and the moment was over but in that moment the seed of an idea was planted. I've presented the tiniest fraction of what the book contains. It is worthy of anyone's time and I can't think of a type of person who wouldn't benefit from reading it. Also, there are vampires and they fall in love. See, something for everyone. Flow was a interesting look into the titular state, that of being 'in the zone' or the slightly more dated 'on fire'. Flow is the mental and physical state of being where one is completely absorbed in the task at hand, and so well matched to the task, that everything else disappears from awareness.

Csikszentmihaly makes a distinction here between 'fun' and 'enjoyment', claiming that something does not have to be fun to be enjoyable, and the latter is ultimately preferable to the former. While a Flow was a interesting look into the titular state, that of being 'in the zone' or the slightly more dated 'on fire'. Flow is the mental and physical state of being where one is completely absorbed in the task at hand, and so well matched to the task, that everything else disappears from awareness. Csikszentmihaly makes a distinction here between 'fun' and 'enjoyment', claiming that something does not have to be fun to be enjoyable, and the latter is ultimately preferable to the former. While a large portion of the book is dedicated to examples of how one can achieve this state in all aspects of life and how this can lead to a more pleasant and fulfilling life, from a game developer perspective I found the requirements for such a state much more interesting than the anecdotal evidence. Csikszentmihaly describes eight aspects of an enjoyable experience, though in terms of requirements, there are really four: 1) Skill must match challenge, and vice versa.

From my own experience, this is utmost in creating a state of flow. If skill exceeds the challenge of the task, then one falls into boredom and distraction, and if the challenge is too great for one's skill, there is only frustration. Attaining goals, therefore, must be difficult, but not impossible. 2) Goals must be clear. Without clearly defined markers of achievement, an activity can easily fall into frustration. They grant direction and purpose to the task, and a way of knowing when one is done.

The goal need not be anything more than completing the task at hand (such as hiking a mountain), so long as the goal is well defined. There must be feedback that one is approaching one's goals. One needs feedback frequently enough to gauge how well one is doing, so that one can either feel good about the progress, or adjust tactics, depending on the content of the feedback. 4) Concentration. If a task can be accomplished without explicit attention, then it is merely a distraction. The feedback should always guide attention to the next task.

The other four aspects the author presents (that the activity removes awareness of factors outside the task, that one feels in control of the activity, that one's sense of self dissipates during the activity, and that one's sense of time is altered) to me all seem like effects rather than causes of flow. Csikszentmihaly was fairly strongly against 'passive' flow activities like watching television, because he argued it required no skill and did not improve the self. However, having read I'm not sure I can entirely agree.

If you accept his posit that social interactions can also be valid flow activities, then there is no particular reason observing and analyzing the interactions of others (televised or not) would not also be enjoyable and beneficial, if not always pleasant, per se. There must be a reason we watch bad television even when we know it to be bad.

So, round about, it is a decent book, and the first half at least is well worth the read for anyone working in interactive media. A Hungarian psychology professor, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. Now at Claremont Graduate University, he is the former head of the department of psychology at the University of Chicago and of the department of sociology and anthropology at Lake Forest College.

He is noted for both his work in the study of happiness and creativity and also for his notoriously difficult name, i A Hungarian psychology professor, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. Now at Claremont Graduate University, he is the former head of the department of psychology at the University of Chicago and of the department of sociology and anthropology at Lake Forest College. He is noted for both his work in the study of happiness and creativity and also for his notoriously difficult name, in terms of pronunciation for non-native speakers of the Hungarian language, but is best known as the architect of the notion of flow and for his years of research and writing on the topic. He is the author of many books and over 120 articles or book chapters.

Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association, described Csikszentmihalyi as the world's leading researcher on positive psychology. Csikszentmihalyi once said 'Repression is not the way to virtue.

When people restrain themselves out of fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. Only through freely chosen discipline can life be enjoyed and still kept within the bounds of reason.' His works are influential and are widely cited.