About this title: In the continued search for that elusive state, happiness, people too often lose sight of the times when they actually feel or find it. Psychology professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has studied the state of "flow," wherein individuals experience transcendant joy and satisfaction during full immersion in a moment of intense activity. ...
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Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper & Row
Date Published: 1990
Description: Like New. Book will be packaged with care for a safe journey! *** 13 Years of online selling experience! ! **** Customer satisfaction guaranteed! read more
Description: Good. Dust Cover Missing. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Used-Good. Good condition. clean pages; has slight stain on outside bottom edge of book; showing some shelfware and age; tight spine uncreased; Delivery confirmation available for every book shipped. Reliable customer service and no-hassle return policy. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Cloth
Publisher: Harper & Row, New York
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780060162535ISBN:0060162538
Description: Near Very Good in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. xii, 303 pp. First printing. Underlining and marginalia on c. 10 pages. The binding is tight and square. "What makes people glad to be alive? " read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harper & Row, New York, New York
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780060162535ISBN:0060162538
Description: Good in Good jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. [S] First print. Cloth over boards. Rubbing to extremities of cloth. Bump to upper board edge at head. Light soiling to page edges. Light edgewear, light scuffing, and light soiling to d.j. in poly cover. read more
Description: Good in Very Good jacket. Illustrated red/black dustjacket. Slight shelfwear to jacket and board edges. Small amount of yellow highlighting in first chapter. read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very Good. 0060162538 In Great Condition Hardcover with Dust Jacket, FIRST EDITION /FIRST PRINTING, full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, Harper Collins, 1990; a couple insignificant pen marks in index make this a bargain, ~ We would ship within 24 Hours, reply to customer emails ASAP, accept returns and offer 100% satisfaction guarantee! read more
"So many thoughts have been turned on with this book, all running like wildfire through my dreams, even waking me with anticipation of more optimal experience at my fingertips. This book is feeding me, with zingers like the fact that happiness and unhappiness are not mutually exclusive. This book is building blocks of peak experience for those not so inclined to just know. Game theory, developing skill through careful choice of challenges. It may be dry to some, manna from heaven for others. Some worthy topics are pleasure vs. enjoyment, and analysis of psychic entropy. Keep lookin' for Flow!"
"It's not a self help book. But it is a very humane science book that takes concepts and discoveries and relates it back to what it is we care about the most: our own happiness. It seems like a rather ambitious goal for a scientist to tackle (I would think philosophy or religion would have been an easier angle) but this book is surprisingly interesting and insightful. It doesn't give you step by step instructions on improving your life, but if you understand the concepts behind what makes us happy, then there's nothing stopping you from increasing the likelihood of finding it yourself. Except, of course, that carrying out these ideas in your life may be harder than it sounds, but isn't that the way it's supposed to be?
The only chapters I didn't care too much about were the ones on The Body and The Mind... which basically just lists examples of achieving flow using the body and the mind. I kind of skimmed it.
I'll write a short summary of what I learned. This is mostly for my memory, you should read the actual book because he really brings these concepts to life. Just reading this will probably not do anything for you unless you've read the book:
- happiness results not from consuming pleasure but through investing the self in activities that create a fuller picture of the self -- and stimulate growth
- often these activities require full attention: state of flow
- enjoyment is subjective and while still at the mercy of extrinsic factors, can be controlled by the mind
- activities create flow when one is between the states of boredom (task is too easy) and anxiety (task is too hard)
- enjoyment is achieved when the purpose of the task is to enjoy the task itself, instead of other motives like money, fame, recognition, or results
- ability to focus attention is single most important skill in achieving flow
- therefore, those who are selfish and those who are self conscious (2 extremes of the spectrum) have a harder time achieving flow (the ego gets in the way of attention)
- many people are able to achieve flow in their lives by constantly introducing new challenges to the task with a head to master the situation (and the self)
- when one is able (and has the skills) to control the self and the situation, it gives pleasure & self understanding
- (work hard, play hard?)
- many people achieve flow at work (& thus enjoyment) more than at home & leisure. This is b/c work provides clear goals & structure and feedback, which is ideal situation of flow
- we need to learn how to structure our free time w/ rewarding activity rather than passive entertainment
- choice is very important - choose what matters to you in order to create flow (because it is a subjective experience)
- as with most things, flow can be used for good or evil i.e. most criminals experience flow when committing crimes
- also certain flow activities can become an addiction i.e. video games
- purpose, resolution, and harmony unify life and give it meaning by transforming it into a seamless flow experience
- autotelic personality - people who have this personality naturally approach problems and crisis as a challenge... and an opportunity to meet the challenge (rather than the other reactions: cynicism or helplessness). these people make every situation into an opportunity for creating flow.
- some people who go through huge tragedies like losing a limb say that it has changed their lives for the better. Before, they did not have as much purpose, concrete goals, constant feedback, and difficult challenges (all ingredients for creating flow).
- for life to have meaning requires more than a string of random, perhaps contradictory flow activities. one must find an overarching purpose so that all other flow activities will contribute to it.
- "the meaning of life is meaning: whatever it is, wherever it comes from, a unified purpose is what gives meaning to life"
- modern man has so many options to choose from that it makes finding one unified purpose very hard, whereas past generations had less choices, so they were more easily satisfied with whatever they chose to work hardest at. We can master this by having self knowledge."
"Although this is very sophisticated for a self-help book, I believe the same adage applies to it as to every other type of advice: if you were capable of following this advice, you wouldn't have needed it in the first place.
Flow defines a state of "optimal experience" where a person is totally engaged in a task whose challenges are perfectly matched to abilities. The author goes to great lengths to describe the many areas of life in which this is possible, but eventually must acknowledge that some people are simply better at achieving this state than others. There isn't much advice for people who lack the ability to control their consciousness and reinterpret reality in a way that is conducive to flow. A cynic might say there is no such advice because you're either born with this ability or you're not; I just know that I've been shown a grand temple on a high mountain but have been given no tools or instructions for climbing, just repeated reminders that it is "difficult."
I also didn't like the unquestioned positivism behind the author's contention that moral relativism can be defeated using psychological standards for well-being. It's a tough spot because I'd like to believe what he says: cultures that create more opportunities for growth for their citizens do seem better to us. However, this judgment is rooted in a mindset that, for example, could not convince deeply theistic persons that while their culture guarantees salvation, it is nevertheless faulty because it restricts the free choice of "life themes" in this temporal world. I am not one of these people, but I recognize the possibility that their claim would be rational.
Despite all this, I liked the book. It is fascinating to read about psychological interpretations of fleeting experiences you've had but not been able to really adequately describe on your own. Flow is one of those things for me.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who has never questioned their goals or the direction of their life - whether they are in a blind, mad pursuit of wealth and power to the exclusion of all else in life, or wasting away in front of a television, this book could point you in the direction of something more meaningful and enduring. Just don't expect it to give you a roadmap."
""Flow" is a book that discusses on a deeper, more academic level, the same essential subject as "Mastery" by George Leonard. Csikczentmihalyi is a psychologist who asked the question, "why are we always studying people in crisis and trauma, why don't we try to learn about what it is to be happy?" This book is the result. He finds that sustained happiness results from "Flow:" "a state of consciousness so focused that it amounts to absolute absorption in an activity." He finds that people achieve this "optimal experience" (note that this is _not_ the same as "ecstasy" or "instant gratification") when they engage themselves with activities for their own sake, not with their minds on the future result. Activities should have rules that can be understood by the participants, require the learning of skills, set up goals, provide feedback, and make control possible. Ideal examples include rock climbing, sailing, playing music and chess, but in fact, everything, from doing the dishes to driving to work to writing a book review, has the capacity to be approached as a "flow" experience. It is a matter of the individual creating the meaning of their activities, and using that meaning to optimize enjoyment.
"Flow" is an easily-read and well organized book. Its basic message is simple, but the author provides many examples and details along the way. It can function as a self-help guide, a methodology for approaching life, or a unique approach to psychology. In any event, it is quite a rewarding read."
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