Flow (psychology) facts for kids
Flow is a term used in psychology to mean the mental state of a person completely immersed in an activity. It is an altered state of consciousness. The person is fully focused, performing actively and successfully. The situation is widely recognised by phrases like in the zone, in the bubble, on the ball, in the moment, wired in, in the groove. The performer almost loses touch with their surroundings: phrases like "lost to the world" reflect this mental absorption.
The term flow was given to this experience by a psychologist, who found it was completely focused motivation. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task, although flow is also described as a deep focus on nothing but the activity – not even oneself or one's emotions.
Components of flow
Csíkszentmihályi identifies the following ten factors as accompanying an experience of flow:
- Clear goals. Expectations and rules are known and goals are attainable and within one's skills and abilities. Moreover, the challenge level and skill level should both be high.
- Concentrating: a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
- A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness.
- Distorted sense of time, one's sense of time is altered.
- Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
- A balance between ability level and challenge: the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult.
- A sense of control over the situation or activity.
- The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
- A lack of awareness of bodily needs (to the extent that one can reach a point of great hunger or fatigue without realizing it)
- Absorption into the activity, narrowing of the focus of awareness down to the activity itself, action awareness merging.
Not all are needed for flow to be experienced.
Other factors
Flow operates on both physical and mental tasks. It applies to dance, football, chess and many other areas where people perform tasks in well-defined competitive situations, but also in art where the situation may be much more open. Evidence about flow comes from interviews with people after various types of performance. Efforts are being made to develop ways of enhancing flow for personal and commercial benefit.
See also
In Spanish: Flujo (psicología) para niños
