 | Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience |
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Product Description
The bestselling introduction to "flow"--a groundbreaking psychological theory that shows readers how to improve the quality of life.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #28618 in Books
- Published on: 1991-03-13
- Released on: 1991-02-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 320 pages
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting. In work, sport, conversation or hobby, you have experienced, yourself, the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption in activity. This is "flow," an experience that is at once demanding and rewarding--an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have. The exhaustive case studies, controlled experiments and innumerable references to historical figures, philosophers and scientists through the ages prove Csikszentmihalyi's point that flow is a singularly productive and desirable state. But the implications for its application to society are what make the book revolutionary.
From Library Journal
Aristotle observed 2300 years ago that more than anything men and women seek happiness. Csikszentmihalyi (psychology, Univ. of Chicago) has for 25 years made similar observations regarding "flow," a field of behavioral science examining connections between satisfaction and daily activities. A flow state ensues when one is engaged in self-controlled, goal-related, meaningful actions. Data regarding flow were collected on thousands of individuals, from mountain climbers to chess players. This thoroughly researched study is an intriguing look at the age-old problem of the pursuit of happiness and how, through conscious effort, we may more easily attain it. Recommended for general readers.
- Terry McMaster, Utica Coll. of Syracuse Univ. Lib., N.Y .
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"An intriguing look at the age-old problem of human happiness." -- --Library Journal
"Documents a set of scientific discoveries about human nature that actually illuminates the life experiences of all persons." -- --Howard Gardner, author of Frames of Mind
"It rethinks what motivates people." -- --Newsweek
