08-16-2014, 11:47 AM
one of my favourite books from my earlier years of reading was Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. I read it when I was 18 or 19, and it had a huge impact on how I view my experience.
Here is one review:
one very elucidating diagram is this, which exemplifies the concept of the 'Flow State':
on the y-axis, you have the Challenges of Life which could be understood as catalyst, or the experiences that we subject ourselves to. Some challenges, of course, are not totally of our choosing, but can be societal inputs, and are subject to a certain 'randomness' factor.
on the x-axis, we have our personal skill level, or how well equipped we are in terms of technique, approach, and learning ability. One could see this as the relative development (and crystallization) of the energy chakras.
in life, when there is a good match between the Challenges and the Skill Levels, there is a consonant overlap in which much Work can be done. We process the experience willingly, with vigor, and with involvement. It is not routine, and it definitely involves Attention. We are wrapped up in something novel - the 'Challenge' is something that has not been seen before.
Poor Matching of Challenges with Skills
If we have too many Skills (x-axis) , relative to the Challenge offered, then we are uninvolved (Bored).
if the Challenge (y-axis) (catalyst) is beyond our skill level, then Anxiety can be the result. This can show up as withdrawal, or wanting to disengage from the Challenge, because it's too much for us to handle. It's like throwing an amateur into the Big Leagues of Baseball - they just don't have the skills to perform there and have any sort of success. Two answers to such a situation: 1) improve one's Skill levels, or approach or 2) work on different challenges, one's more matched to one's abilities.
- -
Here is one review:
amazon Wrote:Csikszentmihalyi's theme is happiness.
This philosopher-psychologist points out the Aristotelian concept that all other things we seek, riches, fame, power, etc. are valued only because we believe they will make us happy.
Based upon decades of research on the mystery of happiness, Csikszentmihalyi defines it as moments of self-forgetfulness when we are totally absorbed in the process of life ... intervals of peak creativity and self-expression. He expands upon the research of Abraham Maslow and agrees that peak experiences are within the reach of us all.
The theme of this book is the introduction of techniques to make this glad to be alive feeling occur more often. It may be stated that this book is no self-help step-by-step program, nor could it be.
Each of us is plowing new snow, creating a path that no one else has traveled. The guidelines and the principles are here, but the journey into the sublime uncertainty of our destiny is individual and precious. Flow is one of several extraordinary contributions by this great mind.
http://www.amazon.com/Flow-P-S-Mihaly-Cs...Descending
one very elucidating diagram is this, which exemplifies the concept of the 'Flow State':
on the y-axis, you have the Challenges of Life which could be understood as catalyst, or the experiences that we subject ourselves to. Some challenges, of course, are not totally of our choosing, but can be societal inputs, and are subject to a certain 'randomness' factor.
on the x-axis, we have our personal skill level, or how well equipped we are in terms of technique, approach, and learning ability. One could see this as the relative development (and crystallization) of the energy chakras.
in life, when there is a good match between the Challenges and the Skill Levels, there is a consonant overlap in which much Work can be done. We process the experience willingly, with vigor, and with involvement. It is not routine, and it definitely involves Attention. We are wrapped up in something novel - the 'Challenge' is something that has not been seen before.
Poor Matching of Challenges with Skills
If we have too many Skills (x-axis) , relative to the Challenge offered, then we are uninvolved (Bored).
if the Challenge (y-axis) (catalyst) is beyond our skill level, then Anxiety can be the result. This can show up as withdrawal, or wanting to disengage from the Challenge, because it's too much for us to handle. It's like throwing an amateur into the Big Leagues of Baseball - they just don't have the skills to perform there and have any sort of success. Two answers to such a situation: 1) improve one's Skill levels, or approach or 2) work on different challenges, one's more matched to one's abilities.
- -