psychology

L03 Star�ng with Flow

Reflective Question

Think back to a time in your life when you were in the zone (e.g. you ran the

perfect race, you got lost in the music during a performance, you wrote a great

paper for class, etc.).

1. What was the activity?

2. What do you remember about the experience?

3. How did you feel during and after the experience?

The sense of acting by instinct alone

A feeling that time sped up or seemed to pass very slowly

perception of effortlessness or total control

Complete concentration on the task at hand/a lack of distraction

The feeling that something special is happening

A feeling of satisfaction with one’s efforts and the outcomes that result

Hopefully, what you thought about shared one or more of the characteristics. What is

being described is something known as a flow experience or flow state.

Flow is, “A state of optimal experience occurring when our body and mind are pushed to

the limits while working to achieve something.” (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). In other words,

flow is the opposite of our normal day-to-day mental activity. It describes those moments

in our lives that could be described as peak experiences.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Bio

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Mihaly

Csikszentmihalyi is widely recognized as a pioneer of

positive psychology and the scientific study of

happiness and fulfillment. In particular, he is known for

this work examining the concept of flow, which he first

introduced in his book Flow: The Psychology of

Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial, 1990). Born in

Hungary in 1934, Csikszentmihalyi was deeply

influenced by the events of World War II. It was while in

an Italian prison that he first developed an appreciation

for the power of leisure to transport the mind, and

provide a means of escape and enrichment.

Click to see characteristics of experiences that may have come to mind:

L03 Starting with Flow : RPTM 120, Section 001... https://psu.instructure.com/courses/2069156/p...

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