* Mdnotes File Name: [[Csikszentmihaly1975]] * [[_Anotacions]] # Anotacions [[Csikszentmihaly1975]] "The present research was started in an attempt to answer that question. Why is play intrinsically rewarding?" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:136](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=2)) "The Flow Experience There" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:136](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=2)) "Flow denotes the holistic sensation present when we act with total involvement." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:136](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=2)) "Elements of the Flow Experience" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:138](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=4)) "Merging Action and Awareness Perhaps the clearest sign of flow is the experience of merging action and awareness. A person in flow does not operate with a dualistic perspective: one is very aware of one's actions, but not of the awareness itself." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:138](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=4)) "The moment awareness is split so as to perceive the activity from "outside," the flow is interrupted." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:138](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=4)) "Therefore, flow is difficult to maintain for any length of time without at least momentary interruptions. Typically, a person can maintain a merged awareness with his or her actions for only short periods interspersed with interludes (from the Latin inter ludes, "between plays") in which the flow is broken by the actor's adoption of an outside perspective. These interruptions occur when questions flash through the actor's mind such as "Am I doing well?" or "What am I doing here?" or "Should I be doing this?" When one is in a flow episode (in" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:138](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=4)) "Centering of Attention" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:139](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=5)) "The merging of action and awareness is made possible by a centering of attention on a limited stimulus field. To insure that people will concentrate on their actions, potentially intruding stimuli must be kept out of attention. Some writers have called this process a "narrowing of consciousness," a "giving up the past and the future (Maslow 1971, pp. 63-65)." One respondent, a university science professor who climbs rocks, phrased it as follows:" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:139](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=5)) "Ideally, flow is the result of pure involvement, without any consideration about results." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:141](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=7)) "Loss of Ego Most writers who have described experiences similar to what here is called "flow," mention an element variously described as "loss of ego," "self-forgetfulness," "loss of self-consciousness," and even "transcendence of individuality" and "fusion with the world" (Maslow 1971, pp. 65-70). When an activity involves the person completely with its demands for action, "selfish" considerations become irrelevant. The concept of self (Mead 1934) or ego (Freud 1927) has traditionally been that of an intrapsychic mechanism which mediates between the needs of the organism, and the social demands placed upon it." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:141](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=7)) "Control of Action and Environment A person in flow is in control of his actions and of the environment. While involved in the activity, this feeling of control is modified by the "ego-less" state of the actor. Rather than an active awareness of mastery, it is more a condition of not being worried by the possibility of lack of control. But later, in thinking back on the experience, a person will usually feel that for the duration of the flow episode his skills were adequate to meeting environmental demands, and this reflection might become an important component of a positive self-concept." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:142](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=8)) "Demands for Action and Clear Feedback Another quality of the experience is that it usually contains coherent, noncontradictory demands for action, and provides clear unambiguous feedback to a person's actions." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:144](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=10)) "Autotelic Nature of Flow A final characteristic of the flow experience is its "autotelic" nature. In other words, it appears to need no goals or rewards external to itself." ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:145](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=11)) "This brief outline of the flow model has several interesting implications for human motivation. For instance, is it possible to restructure standard settings for activities (e.g., jobs, schools, neighborhoods, family interactions, and so on) in such a way as to increase the flow experiences they can provide?" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:150](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=16)) "Another important question is, do all people derive the same rewards from the same activities? The common sense answer is "no."" ([Csikszentmihalyi 2014:151](zotero://open-pdf/library/items/TUU3MJS2?page=17))