About this title: People enter a flow state when they are fully absorbed in activity during which they lose their sense of time and have feelings of great satisfaction. The author, a pioneer in this astonishing field of study, clearly explains the principles of "flow" and shows how it can be introduced into every level of life.
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Description: Good. 0060920432 Good Condition, Some pages have underlining or notes ** Satisfaction Guaranteed ** Orders ship same or next business day. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780060920432ISBN:0060920432
Description: Acceptable. Notes or marks from past owner. Rubbing to covers and corners due to general use and shelving. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! read more
Description: Good. 0060920432 Paperback with moderate shelf-wear, rubbing, fraying, tears, fading, chipping and bumping to the cover, edges, corners, and spine. Binding is tight and square. Inside pages are free from underlining, note taking, and/or highlighting, however, the pages have tanned with age. Book is in stock and ready to ship same or next business day. Select Expedited shipping and receive your book within 3-5 business days. Buy with confidence! Please leave feedback after your purchase. It ... read more
Description: Good. 0060920432 20832 PB: spine smooth, text has notations, cover has light shelf wear-allow up to 21 business days for standard USPS media m a i l. wt1lbpf. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780060920432ISBN:0060920432
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. G trade PB, v clean/bright/tight/square, name in front cover, lt pen notes in margins. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 320 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 1991
ISBN-13:9780060920432ISBN:0060920432
Description: Very Good. Light shelf wear. Inside is clean and excellent. People enter a flow state when they are fully absorbed in activity during which they lose their sense of time and have feelings of great satisfaction. The author, a pioneer in this astonishing field of study, clearly explains the principles of "flow" and shows how it can be introduced into every level of life. read more
Description: Near Fine. 5.5 x 8 trade paperback book. Blue and red lettering on the white spine with a white and illustrated cover. The psychology of optimal experience. 303 pages. 15th printing. Pencil margin marks. Near fine condition. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780060920432ISBN:0060920432
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Spine straight w/o creases, binding tight, no reader/remainder/library marks, covers/pgs flat w/sm corners curls, very slight shelf wear. 303 numbered pgsw. Audience: General/trade. Photos or other information available by e-mail. Daily orders/e-mail responses. E-mail confirmation of shipment. Check our feedback. read more
Description: Near Fine. 5" x 8" 303 Pages. Top page borders show light age-tanning. A few pages have highlighting probably less than 5%. Otherwise a tight, square book. Steps toward enhancing the quality of life. For more than two decades Csikszentmihalyi has been studying states of optimal experience---those times when people report feelings of concentration and deep enjoyment. These investigations have revealed that what makes expeerience genuinely satisfying is a state of consciousness called flow---a ... read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Harper Collins, New York
Date Published: 1990
ISBN-13:9780060920432ISBN:0060920432
Description: Spine is uncreased, some mild edgewear. The man with the unpronou ncable name gives us his (now classic) theory of actively engagi n g with reality, opening up all your senses to live a fuller, be tt er life. An excellent unread copy... 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 was recommended to me by a colleague/fellow musician of mine as well as my doctoral committee co-chair a couple of years ago. I wish I had gotten it then and read it. I have only read the first 20 or so pages but it is right on with what I had been mulling about in my own thoughts.
The material is presented in a clear and concise manner and in plain language so that anyone and everyone can understand.
It looks at the big picture through the smaller, everyday events of our lives. It promotes and demonstrates the value of individual choice and the strenth of individual discipline. It is not a 'music' book, but an 'everyman's' book. The author's own broad experience and knowledge of all types of lives bring in everyone and is very encouraging, comforting, thought-provoking and so much more worth our time than all the many useless and time-wasting/life-wasting activities in which we engage ourselves.
I look forward to what is beyond my first 20 pages!"
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