Advances in Flow Research

The concept of Flow was first explained by Csikszentmihalyi (1975), described as an “optimal experience,” he noted that artists were entirely caught up in their projects, working feverishly to finish them and then lose all interest in their work after completion. The incentive lies in the act of creativity itself. The person feels optimally challenged while totally immersed in the activity. At the heart of flow research is the motivational aspect of this experience. Flow motivates people to carry out certain activities repeatedly, seeking a challenge in the act and looking to improve their skills and abilities. In this book, this motivational aspect will be imbedded in and related to other theories of (intrinsic) motivation and empirical work on flow and performance. The book provides a review of the current flow research, with a focus on rigorous analysis on methodology. The author takes the time to present methodological aspects in flow research to qualify empirical work. In addition, this volume presents neuropsychological considerations and empirical correlates of flow experiences. The work also describes various theoretical integrations of the different paths being taken within the field of flow research. It presents what has been learned since the beginning of flow research, what is still open, and how the mission to understand and foster flow experience research should continue.

Since its discovery as a mental state in the 1970s, flow--the losing of oneself in productive activity--has become an important aspect of positive psychology and motivation research. Its processes have been studied in artists and athletes, applied to education and business, and explored in pursuits as varied as spirituality and internet use. As more analysis is done on optimal states of being, the more interest flow gathers as a focus of inquiry.

In Advances in Flow Research, a panel of experts expands on Csikszentmihalyi's classic flow model and opens out key concepts. Contributors address ongoing questions regarding the conditions and components of flow, and consider various methods for measurement and assessment. Current findings are included on flow-related cognitive and personality issues, and the relation of flow to happiness and other affective states. And readers are introduced to emerging areas of study, including possible contributions of flow to negative behavior. Among the topics covered:

• Affective, cognitive, and performance-related consequences of flow.
• Psychophysiological correlates of flow experience.
• Understanding the autotelic personality.
• Integrating flow theory and cognitive evaluation theory.
• Flow in non-achievement situations.
• The dark side of flow.

For social psychologists and researchers in flow and motivation, Advances in Flow Research fills a number of purposes: an up-to-date summary of what has been done, an idea book for new frontiers of inquiry, and a trove of useful references.