Flow And AntiFlow Essay Research Paper

Flow And Anti-Flow Essay, Research Paper

#INTRODUCTION:

In this discussion we will analyze the theories of flow and anti-flow and their effects on the psyche of the human being in four parts. First, we will thoroughly define what flow and anti-flow are. Second, I have conducted two interviews to determine how flow and anti-flow effect the lives of two working professionals. The first interview with the human relations director at a local A.M. talk radio station, and the second, with a jazz guitar performance graduate from Arizona State University. Next, I will relay how flow and anti-flow have affected my life during a four day span, that I documented in a journal, my experiences and how I tried to increase the amount of flow in my life. Finally, I will discuss the ways in which I can better promote the knowledge I have acquired, about flow and anti-flow, towards my future.

To understand what flow and anti-flow are, we need to take a look at the writings of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. His interest in the subject began while observing art students at the University of Chicago (93 Russell). He wondered why these students could find so much interest in a field that virtually had no chance of providing serious income or induction into the upper echelon of society. He realized that these students were spending time doing something that they really wanted to do. He understood that these activities brought these people an inner peace that allowed them to concentrate on nothing else except the task at hand. In doing so, they experienced something known as .flow.. As he defines it, .Flow is a word used to describe a state of being in which you become so involved in some activity or thing that nothing else seems to matter…..You do it for the sheer pleasure .(93 Russell). When an individual is performing a task that produces flow, time seems to pass like a breath of air. Many musicians, artist, and inventors experience this feeling very frequently. Anti-flow is described as an event or series of events that an individual has to do. The activities of are usually full of stress, boredom, or anxiety. Take for instance a trip to the dentist office or a seminar on the pros and con.s of foot fungus. These are events that the individual does not look forward to, and cannot wait until their completion. Time seems to stop when engaged in an activity that produces anti-flow.

Next, he goes on to develop eight essential characteristics of flow. The first states, .The activity is challenging and requires skill.(93 Russell). Boredom and anxiety create anti-flow. If the participant is not challenged, or too challenged, flow cannot occur during an activity. Whether an individual is reading (using the mind) or participating in an athletic event (using physical energy), it must challenge the mind or comprise of a challenging competition to keep the level of concentration high. The second characteristic is, .Action and awareness merge.(94 Russell). In this, we see the level of concentration reach an absolute pinnacle. Nothing other than the challenge occupies the mind. The mind has no room to process anything else but the activity before it. If the mind were to wander, the level of concentration would drop, ending this frequently short-lived sensation. The third element is, .Concentration on the task at hand. (95 Russell). With such a high level of concentration, the individual is able to temporarily forget the ills or worries of life. As I stated before, the mind is only focused on the activity at hand, allowing the high concentration levels to block out any interference that could hinder the level of the activity. Fourth, there is, .The loss of self-consciousness. (95 Russell). In this the individual becomes one with the activity. While reaching the heights of concentration, self-awareness cannot serve as mental interference. In order to engage this characteristic, the individual must be so deep into the activity that there, .is not enough energy left over to allow us to consider ourselves.(95 Russell). Next is the fifth characteristic, .Clear goals and feedback.(95 Russell). In this meaning, .It is possible to achieve such complete involvement in a flow experience partly because the goals of the activity are clear, and the feedback is immediate.(95 Russell). We know what to expect when we reach the climax of a goal. When you ski down a slope, you do so knowing that the wind will blow through your hair, and you should reach the bottom. The sixth characteristic is a .Sense of control.(96 Russell). Although control maybe lost or an injury may occur, many describe flow as being in control of the situation or activity. The seventh characteristic described is, .The transformation of time.(96 Russell). Here, time is almost non existent. For people that reach a state of flow, time races by in what only seems to be a few minutes. In these high levels of concentration, nothing else exists but the focus. The eighth, and final, characteristic is an, .autotelic experience.(97 Russell). When someone puts all of their money and effort into building an excellent car engine, they do so because of the feeling they achieve when they are driving the car. The driving is the reward. Doing something not for a future reward, but for the act itself (97 Russell).

FLOW AND ANTI FLOW IN THE LIFE OF OTHERS:

In this section, I have interviewed two people to see how flow and anti-flow fit into t