Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in Consciousness

What constitutes enjoyment of life? Optimal Experience offers a comprehensive survey of theoretical and empirical investigations of the ‘flow’ experience, a desirable or optimal state of consciousness that enhances a person’s psychic state. The authors show the diverse contexts and circumstances in which flow is reported in different cultures, and describe its positive emotional impacts. They reflect on ways in which the ability to experience flow affects work satisfaction, academic success, and the overall quality of life

• Examines a new and popular concept of an ideal state of being • Relevant to almost all psychological and psychiatric disciplines

Part I. A Theoretical Model of Optimal Experience: 1. Introduction Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi; 2. The flow experience and its significance for human psychology Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi; 3. Sociological implications of the flow experience Richard G. Mitchell Jr; 4. Flow and biocultural evolution fausto massimini Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Antonella Delle Fave; Part II. Varieties of the Flow Experience: 5. Introduction to Part II Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi and Isabella Csikszentmihalyi; 6. Bozozoku: flow in Japanese motorcycle gang Ikuya Sato; 7. Women, work, and flow Maria T. Allison and Margaret C. Duncan; 8. The relationship between life satisfaction and flow in elderly Korean immigrants Seongyeul Han; 9. Flow and writing Reed Larson; 10. Flow and solitary ordeals Richard Logan; Part III. Flow as a Way of Life: 11. Introduction to Part III Isabella Csikszentmihalyi and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi; 12. Modernisation and the changing context of flow in work and leisure Antonella Delle Fave and Fausto Massimini; 13. Ocean cruising Jim MacBeth; 14. Flow in a historical context: the case of the Jesuits Isabella Csikszentmihalyi; Part IV. The Measurement of Flow in Everyday Life: 15. Introduction to Part IV Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Isabella Csikszentmihalyi; 16. The systematic assessment of flow in daily experience Massimo Carli and Fausto Massimini; 17. The quality of experience in the flow channels: comparison of Italian and US students Massimo Carli, Antonella Delle Fave and Fausto Massimini; 18. Flow and the quality of experience during work and leisure Judith Le Fevre; 19. Optimal experience and the uses of talent Jeanne Nakamura; 20. Self-esteem and optimal experience Anne J. Wells; 21. Optimal experience and the family context Kevin Rathunde; 22. The future of flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

‘ … an impressive cross-cultural effort … a valuable compilation of major theoretical and empirical developments in one volume … well worth the attention of psychologists who are concerned with intrinsic motivations in work and at play.’ Contemporary Psychology