• Have you ever been so engaged in an activity that time seemed to

stretch, everything became effortless, and you emerged surprised

by your own ability? Whether it was catching a falling plate or
excelling at a sport beyond your wildest dreams, these moments
where we glimpse upon our greatest self are scientifically referred to
as ‘flow’

• Why do we become so engaged in activities we love? Flow was first

originally realized through the study of satisfaction, happiness,
fulfilment and meaning. Psychologists and researchers, helped by the
recent movement of positive psychology, have studied flow more in
the last two decades than ever before.

• Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person performing

an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full
involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity. Flow is
when you have completely focused motivation.
 WHAT IS FLOW?
“Being completely involved in an activity for its
own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every
action, movement, and thought follows inevitably
from the previous one,
like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and
you’re using your skills to the utmost… The
experience itself is so enjoyable that people will do
it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”
– Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi
Abraham Maslow started the topic as he described the common states during
peak performances as, “the individual experiences an expansion of self, a
sense of unity, and a meaningfulness in life. The experience lingers in one’s
consciousness and gives a sense of purpose, integration, self determination
and empathy”.

Flow first came to Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi’s attention while he was studying

artists for his postgraduate thesis. As the artists worked they seemed to go
into a trance-like state. To his surprise he found that the end product or
outcome was less important to them than the process of doing the work
itself, suggesting that external rewards were less important than intrinsic
rewards or feelings.

Susan Jackson currently describes flow as “a state of consciousness where

one becomes totally absorbed in what one is doing, to the exclusion of all
other thoughts and emotions…. a harmonious experience where mind and
body are working together effortlessly, leaving the person feeling that
something special has just occurred… flow lifts experience from the ordinary
to the optimal, and it is in those moments that we feel truly alive and in tune
with what we are doing”.
 FLOW
THE “IT” FACTOR
By the end of this session students will:
- Understand the Flow Theory developed by Dr. C, it’s
background and where it is now
- Identify the 9 dimensions of the Flow equation
- Apply the Flow theory to several examples for play/work/life
- Identify how it feels to be in Flow and the conditions of Flow
- Connect FLOW to Play
 “The best moments in our lives
are not the passive, relaxing
times… The best moments
usually occur when a persons
body or mind is stretched to it’s
limits in a voluntary effort to
accomplish something difficult
and worthwhile.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
 FLOW
Dr C. started looking at this idea of
“Flow” after WWII with the
questions of
“what contributes to
a life worth living?”
By 1964 he was studying creative
people and how satisfied they were
with what ever they were doing.
He identified two components to
measures; challenge level vs. skill
level
“Enjoyment appears at
the boundary between
boredom and anxiety,
when the challenges are
just balanced with the
person’s capacity to act.”
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
In this zone were challenge meets ability
one becomes completely absorbed in
the activity for its own sake that results
in meaningful and enjoyable
experiences that implies growth and
increased complexity.
 A good example of the process of
FLOW
• Michael Jordan
– Arguably the GOAT Basketball player
– Biggest games, biggest moments in basketball
– The first to have his own shoe (since 1984)
– First to develop his own brand
– Made movies “Spacejam”
– Played golf and cards for fun
– and when reached the pinnacle of NBA…
How does it feel to be in a state of “FLOW”
Completely absorbed / involved in what we are doing – focused,
concentrated
A sense of ecstasy—of being outside everyday reality.
Great inner clarity—knowing what needs to be done, and how
well we are doing
Knowing that the activity is doable—that our skills are adequate
to the task.
A sense of serenity—no worries about oneself, and a feeling of
growing beyond the boundaries of the ego.
Timelessness—thoroughly focused on the present moment,
hours seem to pass by in minutes
Intrinsic motivation—whatever produces flow becomes its own
reward creates an Autotelic personality [the experience
itself is so meaningful and enjoyable you want to repeat
it and transfer those feelings to other areas of your life]
Where do you find FLOW?
 9 Dimensions of FLOW
1. Challenge-skills balance
Flow requires an equal balance between the skill level and the challenge. If the challenge is too demanding, we get frustrated. If it
is too easy, we get bored. In a flow experience, we feel engaged by the challenge, but not overwhelmed.

2. Action-awareness merging
We are often aware of and thinking about something that has happened, or might happen, in another time or place. But in flow,
we are completely absorbed in the task at hand.

3. Clear Goals
In many everyday situations, there are contradictory demands and it is sometimes quite unclear what should occupy
our attention, however in a flow experience, we have a clear purpose and good grasp of what to do next

4. Unambiguous Feedback
Direct and immediate feedback is continuously present so that we are able to constantly adjust our reactions to
meet the current demands. When we’re in flow, we know how well we are doing, all the time.
5. Concentration on the task at hand
High levels of concentration narrow our attention excluding any unnecessary distractions. Because we’re absorbed in the activity,
we are only aware of what is relevant to the task at hand, and we do not think about unrelated things.

6. Sense of control
An absolute sense of personal control exists, as if we are able to do anything we want to do.

7. Loss of self-consciousness
A lack of awareness of bodily needs as self-consciousness disappears. We often spend a lot of mental energy
monitoring how we appear to others. In a flow state, we are too involved in the activity to care about protecting our
ego.

8. Transformation of time
A distorted sense of time occurs. Time either slows down or flies by when we’re completely engaged in the moment

9. Autotelic experience
Flow is an intrinsically rewarding activity; the activity becomes autotelic, an end in itself, done for its own sake.
“ (FLOW) is thus something that

we make happen…
For each person there are thousands of opportunities,
challenges to expand ourselves.”
– Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi
The influence on FLOW
 FLOW Model Updated

ANXIETY FLOW
CHALLENGE

APATHY BOERDOM

SKILL