Flow Theory Recent Literature, Benefits, and Gaps

Flow Theory Recent Literature, Benefits, and Gaps
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Introduction
Engeser (1) describes flow as an operating mental state in which a person is engaged in action without reflective self-awareness but a solid control sensation. He adds that most individuals are delighted that they're flowing (Newsom et al., 2018). According to him, flow is optimum if the person involved focuses entirely on the work at hand and forgets anything else around him. Individuals are inherently motivated in a state of flow (Obadă, 2019). These events are characterized by sentiments of satisfaction, commitment, absorption, and ability. This study article explores Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's idea of "flow." The paper outlines the flow idea and focuses on the breadth of the study on the topic. It also highlights future research's possible directions.
Theory and Recent Literature
Csikszentmihalyi explained during an interview with Wired Magazine that engagement is shared for the sake of action alone when someone is in flux. He characterizes flow as a fully concentrated motivation (Obadă, 2019). The ego of the person falls, and time flows. Every idea, movement, or action at the moment was like performing jazz and was inevitably flowing from the preceding one. He argues that the individual completely embraces the abilities of his/her whole self in a condition of flow.
During his research of the creative process in the sixties, Csikszentmihalyi noted that the artist would persevere in his work alone despite hunger, tiredness, and any uncomfortable conditions as the painting progressed. All interest in the product is typically gone, however, not long after the product is completed (Obadă, 2019). Thus, research and the idea of flow arose from a desire to explain the intrinsically driven phenomena and the 'autotelic' activity, despite the extrinsic benefits obtained from its execution. Flow is called "optimal" by Csikszentmihalyi and LeFevre, meaning that the person is psychologically effective, driven, and joyful when he or she feels (Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2019).
Csikszentmihalyi questioned dancers, chess players, and rock climbers for the sake of investigating the nature and conditions of pleasure. Most respondents stated pleasure as the motive for the activity. Csikszentmihalyi emphasizes that certain criteria must be fulfilled to reach the flow status. In the beginning, they are the perceived obstacles, but they do not exceed the performer's current talents. It means that the performer needs to balance his skills with the complexity of the assignment. It is not only important to meet the level of abilities and difficulties, but also to achieve great fluidity. Still, if the challenging level corresponds to the skill level, but both are low, the consequences are called indifference.
Furthermore, to reach a flow state, a person must have defined objectives, and quick feedback on progress should be acquired. The guidance and structure of the task are clear. Under these conditions, experience unfolds unavoidably between times while one reaches a state that is marked by a profound concentration and a combination of actions and consciousness (Newsom et al., 2018). There is a lack of introspective self-aw...