Flow
"The “autotelic self” is one that easily translates potential threats into enjoyable challenges, and therefore maintains its inner harmony."
— Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, Flow (1990)
Introduction
| Flow | |
|---|---|
| File:Flow-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi.jpg | |
| Full title | Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience |
| Author | Mihály Csíkszentmihályi |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Positive psychology; Happiness; Attention; Quality of life |
| Genre | Nonfiction; Psychology; Self-help |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback); e-book; audiobook |
| Pages | 303 |
| ISBN | 978-0-06-016253-5 |
| Goodreads rating | 4.1/5 (as of 8 November 2025) |
| Website | harpercollins.com |
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience is a nonfiction psychology book by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi that introduces his research on “flow,” an optimal state of deep absorption and enjoyment. The first edition was published in New York by Harper & Row in 1990 and runs xii, 303 pages (ISBN 0-06-016253-8).[1][2] HarperCollins reissued the book in its Harper Perennial Modern Classics line; a widely used 2008 paperback remains in print.[3][4]
Chapter summary
This outline follows the Harper Perennial Modern Classics paperback (2008, ISBN 978-0-06-133920-2).[4]
😀 1 – Happiness revisited.
🧠 2 – The anatomy of consciousness.
🌟 3 – Enjoyment and the quality of life.
⚖️ 4 – The conditions of flow.
🏃♂️ 5 – The body in flow.
💡 6 – The flow of thought.
💼 7 – Work as flow.
🧘 8 – Enjoying solitude and other people.
🌪️ 9 – Cheating chaos.
🧭 10 – The making of meaning.
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References
- ↑ "Flow : the psychology of optimal experience". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Flow : The Psychology of Optimal Experience". WorldCat. OCLC. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ "Flow – HarperCollins". HarperCollins. HarperCollins Publishers. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Flow : the psychology of optimal experience". WorldCat. OCLC. Retrieved 8 November 2025.