Flow (psychology)

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 recognized by phrases like in the zone,^[1] 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, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He said it was completely focused motivation. The hallmark of flow is a feeling of spontaneous joy, even rapture, while performing a task.^[2] Flow is also described as a deep focus on nothing but the activity – not even oneself or one's emotions.

A flow state can be entered while performing any activity, although it is most likely to occur when one is wholeheartedly performing a task or activity for intrinsic purposes. Intrinsic purposes involve anything that someone does merely because they want to. Extrinsic activities will not cause flow to occur. Extrinsic activities are anything that someone does because there is some other force causing them to do it. Extrinsic activities will not cause flow to occur. Passive activities like taking a bath or even watching TV usually do not elicit flow experiences as individuals have to actively do something to enter a flow state. While the activities that induce flow may vary and be multifaceted, Csikszentmihályi asserts that the experience of flow is similar despite the activity.

1. ↑ Murphy, Michael & White, Rhea A. 1995. In the zone: transcendent experience in sports. Penguin.
2. ↑ Goleman, Daniel (2006), Emotional Intelligence, p. 91, ISBN 055380491X