Author: Norman, Donald A.

Publication Year:

Media Type: Periodical (article)

Summary:

Abstract:

Motivated activity, whether experiential or reflective, can be challenging and rewarding. The mind is captured, the experience is exhilerating. It is what experimental psychologist Mihaly Czikszentmihalyi calls a peak experience, an optimal flow. If you want a sustained, optimal experience, says Czikszentmihalyi - whether at work, home or play - the important thing is a continual flow of focused concentration: absolute absorption in an activity. It is remarkable how little scientific knowledge we have about the factors that underlie motivation, enjoyment and satisfaction.

Studies of flow, says Csikszentmihaly, have demonstrated repeatedly that more than anything else, the quality of life depends upon two factors: how we experience work and our relation with other people. And what factors are involved in that experience? To a large extent, activities that support a positive flow experience are those that have built-in goals, feed-back, rules and challenges, all of which encourage one to become involved in one's work, to concentrate and lose oneself in it.

Leisure time does not have these properties unless individuals establish for themselves leisure activities that provide them. Work and school can provide settings for them but seldom do. Two sets of studies shed some light on what it takes to invoke this optimal flow: Brenda Laurel's analysis of first-person experience and Susanne Bodker's human activity approach. (p. 35, 36)

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Note [includes bibliographic reference].

Arts & Intersections:

Categories: Arts Education