In class we were discussing various views of what flow was. My two cents (which may not even add up to that much) is that flow may be able to be obtained by the less skilled. It is my view though that the less skilled will experience flow less and more inconsistently. Every time the subject becomes aware of their short comings or the pressure is ramped up there will be a time period where they are not able to get into flow. I do agree with the theory that it takes a high skill level to experience flow at least to experience it regularly. A painter may experience flow but once their work is critiqued it may inhibit (for a while) their ability to enter flow. Ray Alan was the example used in class. Did he feel flow in college ball? What about when he transitioned from college ball to the NBA? I suggest that there may be steps of flow or skill to demand levels at which you can experience it.
This graph depicts the relationship between the perceived challenges of a task and one's perceived skills. This graph illustrates one further aspect of flow: it can only occur when the activity at hand is a higher-than-average challenge (above the center point) and requires above-average skills (to the right of the center point).[7] This is a quote from Csikszentmihlyi. Gayton
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi what contributes to a life worth living? Fascinating that the description of ecstasy is stepping into an alternate experience, this is what it feels like sometimes because when you are in a state or near state of ecstasy it has the ability to take you away from everything else. When you talk about being in an ecstatic state it can mean many different things yet I relate flow to being when you are in the groove, you are getting it and you can be disconnected from what your body is doing. I have had this when being in a classroom and thinking up a new way to test an old hypothesis, or working with the human body in a muscular therapeutic manner and connecting with the other persons body in such a way that your hands and their muscles are connecting at such a level that you are able to work together in melting the knots and tension to achieve near optimal results. Another way in which I think of flow is when doing Gung Fu, there are times when you are just able to completely control your opponent and your body is doing all the right things that it is supposed to be doing with no tension and you are flowing from motion to motion with zero hesitation, it is an amazing experience it is almost as if you are just behind yourself watching what your doing. Being in flow is not easy, but when you get there and when you come up with tests by mentally spinning off what someone is saying into other areas of research that you have read and meld them together is amazing, connecting with another person, or just flowing in exercise, stretching, or some sport that you love should be the goal for everyone.
4 comments:
In class we were discussing various views of what flow was. My two cents (which may not even add up to that much) is that flow may be able to be obtained by the less skilled. It is my view though that the less skilled will experience flow less and more inconsistently. Every time the subject becomes aware of their short comings or the pressure is ramped up there will be a time period where they are not able to get into flow. I do agree with the theory that it takes a high skill level to experience flow at least to experience it regularly. A painter may experience flow but once their work is critiqued it may inhibit (for a while) their ability to enter flow. Ray Alan was the example used in class. Did he feel flow in college ball? What about when he transitioned from college ball to the NBA? I suggest that there may be steps of flow or skill to demand levels at which you can experience it.
Last point was left by Madcander.
aka. Jonathan Bellino
This graph depicts the relationship between the perceived challenges of a task and one's perceived skills. This graph illustrates one further aspect of flow: it can only occur when the activity at hand is a higher-than-average challenge (above the center point) and requires above-average skills (to the right of the center point).[7] This is a quote from Csikszentmihlyi. Gayton
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi what contributes to a life worth living? Fascinating that the description of ecstasy is stepping into an alternate experience, this is what it feels like sometimes because when you are in a state or near state of ecstasy it has the ability to take you away from everything else. When you talk about being in an ecstatic state it can mean many different things yet I relate flow to being when you are in the groove, you are getting it and you can be disconnected from what your body is doing.
I have had this when being in a classroom and thinking up a new way to test an old hypothesis, or working with the human body in a muscular therapeutic manner and connecting with the other persons body in such a way that your hands and their muscles are connecting at such a level that you are able to work together in melting the knots and tension to achieve near optimal results.
Another way in which I think of flow is when doing Gung Fu, there are times when you are just able to completely control your opponent and your body is doing all the right things that it is supposed to be doing with no tension and you are flowing from motion to motion with zero hesitation, it is an amazing experience it is almost as if you are just behind yourself watching what your doing.
Being in flow is not easy, but when you get there and when you come up with tests by mentally spinning off what someone is saying into other areas of research that you have read and meld them together is amazing, connecting with another person, or just flowing in exercise, stretching, or some sport that you love should be the goal for everyone.
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