Social, Transport and Tourism Solutions

Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow

Csikszentmihalyi’s theory of flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990) suggests that when a person has a ‘High Skill Level’ and is faced with a ‘High Challenge’ then this person can enter into a state called ‘Flow’.  Csikszentmihalyi describes this state as ‘The Holistic Sensation that people feel when they act with total involvement’ (Csikszentmihalyi, 2000:36), as being “an almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness”  with “no sense of time or worry of failure” (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1988).  Riders often state freedom as a reason for riding, this description of flow reflects this feeling of freedom (Broughton, 2005).  While in the state of flow, concentration is so intense that there is no attention left over to think about anything irrelevant or to worry about problems.  Flow is an almost automatic, effortless, yet highly focused state of consciousness.

The theory of flow describes four states: Apathy, Boredom; Anxiety and Flow. 

The flow state is entered into when one’s skills are matched by the challenge faced.  When both the skill level and the challenge is low then an apathetic state is entered into, however if the level of skill is higher than the level of challenge then boredom is the result; conversely when the skill level does not meet the challenge then anxiety exists.   For the flow state to be entered into not only must an individual’s skills be matched to the challenge, but these challenges and the skills needed to confront them must exceed the normal levels of daily occurrence (Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1988).  As well as the skill/challenge match, clear goals and instant feedback are also required conditions to enable the flow state (Csikszentmihalyi, 2000).