Today we are back at it, discussing "Flow."
Flow State, also known as being in "the zone," is the mental state of operation in which a person performing an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the activity where the outside world disappears. In essence, Flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does and loses all sense of space and time.
What does it take in us to live in Flow States on demand? Full-time Flow is not a possibility, but some of us are more pre-dispositioned to get into Flow, even when doing the mundane, like washing the dishes.
At the opposite end of the spectrum from the Autotelic Personality* is the Schizophrenic. While visiting my daughter in LA, I crossed paths with many homeless people, many of them deeply lost in their painful world. I cannot help but feel great empathy for these people. They need help, and our governments are not addressing this pressing need. Their world is one where they notice a constant flow of irrelevant stimuli. They cannot focus their thoughts. They are open loop. Open-loop is an expression from engineering that means a control system for an operation or process with no self-correcting action as there is in a closed-loop system.
At the other end of the spectrum is what I call the one-note recluse. Many are obsessive to a fault about something. Some are mad geniuses who might create something beneficial. Others are looking only for pleasure to alleviate pain.
Neither of these personalities can experience Flow, optimized life experience, or true enjoyment from growth. They can only feel fleeting pleasure and sometimes not even that.
Between these two extremes is a spectrum where most of us occupy.
One impediment to Flow is a state of excessive self-consciousness. People who are constantly worried about what others think of them are profoundly hindered from getting into Flow. We have all suffered from varying levels of this impediment throughout our lives. We know that feeling of shame. In those states, we seek valueless pleasure to alleviate the pain.
Another impediment is being excessively self-centered. All information these folks take in is evaluated for how it relates to their desires. Their only goal is to find pleasure. They cannot put life into the perspective to receive true joy; enJOYment. They cannot grow. They, too, are lost. Again, I am sure most of us can relate to this condition.
Societal conditions can impact our ability to live inflow. French sociologist Emily Durkheim gave the two societal extremes the names "Anomie and Alienation."
Anomie is another word for Anarchy. There is no anchor with which to find our mooring in a society where there are no rules. It is impossible to do anything other than try to survive.
Alienation is in many ways the opposite. There are rules and bureaucratic red tape for every single action of life. Imagine the failed states of communist or socialist countries where even the most mundane activities we take for granted are long and laborious, like waiting hours in line for bread.
Anomie fosters self-consciousness and anxiety. Alienation encourages self-centeredness and boredom.
Some of us are genetically predisposed to Flow. Others are raised in environments that produce greater happiness, satisfaction, and resiliency. Kevin. Rathunde from the University of Chicago observed five family conditions that fostered the development of Autotelic Personalities: Clarity, Centering, Choice, Commitment, and Challenge. These are common themes in our Certified High-Performance Coaching practice.
A source of inspiration for us all are those who have overcome great diversity while maintaining Flow States to survive. Viktor Frankl, who survived Nazi concentration camps to emerge as one of the 20th century's great Psychotherapists, is a prime example. These types of individuals survived by exhibiting the trait of Unselfconscious Individuality. They maintained a strongly directed purpose that was not self-seeking.
Some people are born with a more focused and flexible neurological endowment, while others had parents who created the prime environment for Flow. However, Unselfconscious Individuality is a state that is open to cultivation; a skill one can perfect through training and discipline. This we will discuss next time.
Be well, dear reader.
