Flow (psychology)

With flow the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi names the feeling of complete and energized focus in an activity, with a high level of enjoyment and fulfillment.

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Psychologist - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

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As Mihaly sees it, the components of a flow producing activity are:

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• We are up to the activity.
• We are able to concentrate on the activity.
• The activity has clear goals.
• The activity has direct feedback.
• We feel that we control the activity.
• Our worries and concerns disappear.
• Our subjective experience of time is altered.

Not all of these components need to be present together for flow to be experienced.

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Csikszentmihalyi suggested several ways in which a group could work together so that each individual member could achieve flow. The characteristics of such a group include:

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• Creative spatial arrangements: Chairs, pin walls, charts, however no tables, therefore primarily work in standing and moving.
• Playground design : Charts for information inputs, flow graphs, project summary, craziness (here also craziness has a place), safe place (here all may say what is otherwise only thought), result wall, open topics
• Parallel, organized working
• Target group focus
• Advancement of existing one (prototyping)
• Efficiency increase by visualization
• Difference of the participants is a chance
 
Flow (psychology): Etymology ►