Wikipedia

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

The native form of thispersonal nameisCsíkszentmihályi Mihály Róbert.This article usesWestern name orderwhen mentioning individuals.

Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi(/ˈmiːhaɪˈtʃiːksɛntmiːˌhɑːjiː/MEE-hyCHEEK-sent-mee-HAH-yee,Hungarian:Csíkszentmihályi Mihály Róbert,pronounced[ˈt͡ʃiːksɛntmihaːjiˈmihaːj]ⓘ;29 September 1934 – 20 October 2021) was a Hungarian-American psychologist. He recognized and named the psychological concept of "flow",a highly focused mental state conducive to productivity.[1][2]He was the Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Management atClaremont Graduate University.Earlier, he served as the head of the department of psychology at theUniversity of Chicagoand of the department of sociology and anthropology atLake Forest College.[3]

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi
Csikszentmihalyi in 2010
Born
Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi

29 September 1934(1934-09-29)
Fiume,Kingdom of Italy
Died20 October 2021(2021-10-20)(aged 87)
Claremont, California,U.S.
NationalityHungarian
Alma materUniversity of Chicago(BA,PhD)
Occupation(s)Psychologist, academic
Known forFlow (psychology)
Positive psychology
Autotelicactivities
Spouse
Isabella Selega
​
(m.1961)​
Children2, includingChristopher
Scientific career
FieldsPsychology
InstitutionsClaremont Graduate University
University of Chicago
Lake Forest College
ThesisArtistic problems and their solutions; an exploration of creativity in the arts.(1965)
Doctoral advisorJacob W. Getzels
Doctoral studentsKeith Sawyer

Early life and education

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Mihaly Robert Csikszentmihalyi was born on 29 September 1934 in Fiume,[4]now known asRijeka,[5]then part of theKingdom of Italy.His family name derives from the village ofCsíkszentmihályin Transylvania.[6]He was the third son of a career diplomat at the Hungarian Consulate in Fiume.[5][7]In 1944, when Csikszentmihalyi was ten years old, one of his two older half-brothers was killed in theSiege of Budapest,and the other, Moricz, was sent to labor camps inSiberiaby the Soviets.[7]Decades later, Mihaly and Moricz were reunited in Budapest.[8]

His father was appointed Hungarian Ambassador to Italy shortly after theSecond World War,moving the family to Rome.[7][9]WhenCommunists took over Hungaryin 1949, Csikszentmihalyi's father resigned rather than choosing to work for the regime. The Communist regime responded by expelling his father and stripping the family of their Hungarian citizenship.[7]To earn a living, his father opened a restaurant in Rome, and Csikszentmihalyi dropped out of school to help with the family income.[5][7]At this time, the young Csikszentmihalyi, then travelling in Switzerland, sawCarl Junggive a talk on the psychology of UFO sightings.[7]

Csikszentmihalyi immigrated to theUnited Statesat age 22, working nights to support himself while studying at theUniversity of Chicago.[7]He received a B.A. in 1959 and a Ph.D. in 1965, both from the University of Chicago.[7][10]He then taught atLake Forest Collegebefore becoming a professor at the University of Chicago in 1969.[7]

Work

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Csikszentmihalyi was noted for his work in the study ofhappinessandcreativity,but is best known as the architect of the notion offlowand for his years of research and writing on the topic.[11]Martin Seligman,former president of theAmerican Psychological Association,described Csikszentmihalyi as the world's leading researcher onpositive psychology.[12]Csikszentmihalyi once[when?]said: "Repression is not the way to virtue. When people restrain themselves out of fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. Only through freely chosen discipline can life be enjoyed and still kept within the bounds of reason."[13]His works are influential and are widely cited.[14]

Flow

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Main article:Flow (psychology)
AnxietyArousalFlow (psychology)WorryControl (psychology)ApathyBoredomRelaxation (psychology)
Mental state in terms of challenge level and skill level, according toCsikszentmihalyi'sflowmodel.[15](Click on a fragment of the image to go to the appropriate article)

In his seminal work,Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,Csíkszentmihályi outlined his theory that people are happiest when they are in a state offlow—a state ofconcentrationor complete absorption with the activity at hand and the situation.[16]It is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter.[16]The flow state is colloquially known as beingin the zoneorin the groove.[17]It is an optimal state ofintrinsic motivation,where the person is fully immersed in what they are doing.[17]This is a feeling everyone has at times, characterized by a feeling of great absorption, engagement, fulfillment, and skill—and during which temporal concerns (time, food, ego-self, etc.) are typically ignored.[17]

In an interview withWiredmagazine, Csíkszentmihályi described flow as "being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playingjazz.Your whole being is involved, and you're using your skills to the utmost. "[18]

Csikszentmihályi characterized nine component states of achieving flow:[19]

  • challenge-skill balance
  • merging of action and awareness
  • clarity of goals
  • immediate and unambiguous feedback
  • concentration on the task at hand
  • paradox of control
  • transformation of time
  • loss of self-consciousness
  • autotelicexperience

To achieve a flow state, a balance must be struck between the challenge of the task and the skill of the performer.[20]If the task is too easy or too difficult, flow cannot occur as both skill level and challenge level must be matched and high; if skill and challenge are low and matched, apathy results.[20]

Autotelicity

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One state that Csikszentmihalyi researched was that of theautotelicpersonality.[19]The autotelic personality is one in which a person performs acts because they are intrinsically rewarding, rather than to achieve external goals.[21]Csikszentmihalyi described the autotelic personality as a trait possessed by people who can learn to enjoy situations that most others would find miserable.[22]Research has shown that aspects associated with the autotelic personality include curiosity, persistence, and humility.[23]

Motivation

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Most of Csikszentmihalyi's final works focused on the idea ofmotivationand the factors that contribute to motivation, challenge, and overall success.[24]One personality characteristic that Csikszentmihalyi researched in detail was that ofintrinsic motivation.[25]He and his colleagues found that intrinsically motivated people were more likely to be goal-directed and enjoy challenges that would lead to an increase in overall happiness.[24]

Csikszentmihalyi identified intrinsic motivation as a powerful trait to optimize and enhance positive experience, feelings, and overallwell-beingas a result of challenging experiences.[26]The results indicated a newpersonalityconstruct, which he calledwork orientation,characterized by "achievement, endurance, cognitive structure, order, play, and low impulsivity".[26]A high level of work orientation in students is said to be a better predictor of grades and fulfillment of long-term goals than any school or household environmental influence.[26]

Personal life

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Csikszentmihalyi married Isabella Selega in 1961.[27]He had two sons:Christopher Csíkszentmihályi,an artist and professor atCornell University,and Mark Csikszentmihalyi, chair of the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[28]

Csikszentmihalyi died on 20 October 2021 of cardiac arrest, at his home inClaremont, California,at the age of 87.[29][30]

Awards

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In 2009, Csikszentmihalyi was awarded the Clifton Strengths Prize.[31]He received theSzéchenyi Prizeat a ceremony in Budapest in 2011.[32]He was awarded theHungarian Order of Meritin 2014.[9]He was aFellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,and a member of both theNational Academy of Educationand the Academy of Leisure Sciences.[7]

Commemoration

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On 29 September 2023, Csikszentmihalyi's 89th birthday was remembered with aGoogle Doodle.[33]TheJust Dancecharacter Mihaly is named after Csikszentmihalyi.[34]

Publications

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  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1975).Beyond Boredom and Anxiety: Experiencing Flow in Work and Play,San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.ISBN0-87589-261-2
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1978) "Intrinsic Rewards and Emergent Motivation" inThe Hidden Costs of Reward: New Perspectives on the Psychology of Human Motivationeds Lepper, Mark R; Greene, David, Erlbaum: Hillsdale: N.Y. 205–216[35]
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Halton, Eugene (1981).The Meaning of Things: Domestic Symbols and the Self,Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.ISBN0-521-28774-X
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Larson, Reed (1984).Being Adolescent: Conflict and Growth in the Teenage Years.New York:Basic Books, Inc.ISBN0-465-00646-9
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly and Csikszentmihalyi, Isabella Selega, eds. (1988).Optimal Experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness,Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN0-521-34288-0
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990).Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.New York: Harper and Row.ISBN0-06-092043-2
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1994).The Evolving Self,New York: Harper Perennial.ISBN0-06-092192-7
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1996).Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention.New York: Harper Perennial.ISBN0-06-092820-4
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1998).Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement With Everyday Life.Basic Books.ISBN0-465-02411-4
  • Gardner, Howard,Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly, andDamon, William(2001).Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet.New York, Basic Books.ISBN0-465-02608-7[36]
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (2003).Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning.Basic Books, Inc.ISBN0-142-00409-X
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (2014).The Systems Model of Creativity: The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.Dordrecht: Springer, 2014.ISBN978-94-017-9084-0
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (2014).Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology: The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.Dordrecht: Springer, 2014.ISBN978-94-017-9087-1
  • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (2014).Applications of Flow in Human Development and Education: The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.Dordrecht: Springer, 2014.ISBN978-94-017-9093-2

See also

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References

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  1. ^O'Keefe, Paul A. (4 September 2014)."Liking Work Really Matters".The New York Times.Retrieved30 October2015.
  2. ^Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990).Flow: the psychology of optimal experience(1st ed.). New York: Harper & Row.ISBN9780060162535.
  3. ^"Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi".Claremont Graduate University.Retrieved2 March2017.
  4. ^Risen, Clay (27 October 2021)."Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the Father of 'Flow,' Dies at 87".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved28 October2021.
  5. ^abcCooper, Andrew (1 September 1998)."The Man Who Found the Flow".Lion's Roar.Retrieved6 May2018.
  6. ^Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (8 August 2014).Applications of Flow in Human Development and Education: The Collected Works of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.Springer.ISBN9789401790949.
  7. ^abcdefghijKawamura, Kristine Marin (2014). "Kristine Marin Kawamura, PhD interviews Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD".Cross Cultural Management.21(4). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.doi:10.1108/CCM-08-2014-0094.
  8. ^Hari, Johann (2022).Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention.Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 54.
  9. ^abPontifex, Trevor (6 February 2015)."Q&A: CGU Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Receives Hungarian National Award".The Student Life.Claremont, California:Claremont Colleges.Archived fromthe originalon 18 July 2018.Retrieved6 May2018.
  10. ^"Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi".Claremont, Calif.: Claremont Graduate University, Division of Behavorial and Organizational Sciences. Archived fromthe originalon 17 November 2020.Retrieved3 March2014.B.A., University of Chicago, 1960
  11. ^"The Pursuit of 'Flow' Is Overrated".Forge. 4 October 2021.
  12. ^Thinker of the Year Award
  13. ^"Virtue Quotes & Quotations".focusdep. Archived fromthe originalon 11 November 2013.Retrieved19 January2014.
  14. ^Nigel King & Neil Anderson (2002).Managing Innovation and Change.Cengage Learning EMEA. p. 82. (ISBN1861527837)
  15. ^Csikszentmihalyi M(1997).Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life(1st ed.). New York: Basic Books. p. 31.ISBN978-0-465-02411-7.
  16. ^abCsikszentmihalyi, M. (1990).Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.New York: Harper and Row. p. 15ISBN0-06-092043-2
  17. ^abcCsikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (1990).Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.Harper Perennial Modern Classics. p. 27.
  18. ^Geirland, John (1996). "Go With The Flow".Wired,September, Issue 4.09.
  19. ^abFullagar, Clive J.; Kelloway, E. Kevin (2009). "Flow at work: an experience sampling approach".Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.82(3): 595–615.doi:10.1348/096317908x357903.
  20. ^ab"The elasticity of time in 'flow state'".Bend Bulletin. 24 September 2021.
  21. ^Carr, A.Positive psychology. The Science of happiness and human strengths.Hove, 2004.
  22. ^"What Does It Mean To Be A Complex Person? 7 Traits To Look For".Scary Mommy. 3 October 2021.Retrieved21 October2021.
  23. ^Csikszentmihalyi, M. & Nakamura, J. (2011). Positive psychology: Where did it come from, where is it going? In K. M. Sheldon, T. B. Kashdan, & M. F. Steger (Eds.),Designing positive psychology(pp. 2–9). New York: Oxford University Press.
  24. ^abAbuhamdeh, Sami; Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly (2012). "The importance of challenge for the enjoyment of intrinsically motivated, goal-directed activities".Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.38(3): 317–30.doi:10.1177/0146167211427147.PMID22067510.S2CID11916899.
  25. ^"Why Team Flow Is a Unique Brain State".Psychology Today.Retrieved21 October2021.
  26. ^abcWong, Maria; Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1991). "Motivation and academic achievement: The effects of personality traits and the quality of experience".Journal of Personality.59(3): 539–574.doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1991.tb00259.x.PMID1960642.
  27. ^"Csikszentmihalyi, Mihalyi".Investigating Psychology.Retrieved21 October2021.
  28. ^"Mark Csikszentmihalyi".ieas.berkeley.edu.Retrieved6 May2018.
  29. ^Meghalt Csíkszentmihályi Mihály, a flow elmélet atyja(in Hungarian)
  30. ^Risen, Clay (27 October 2021)."Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the Father of 'Flow,' Dies at 87".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved3 February2022.
  31. ^Nakamura, Jeanne."2009 Clifton Strength Prize Laureate".Clifton Strengths School.Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2012.Retrieved15 June2012.
  32. ^"President of Hungary honors SBOS Prof. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi with national science prize".Claremont Graduate University.3 June 2011.Retrieved15 June2012.
  33. ^"Mihály Csíkszentmihályi's 89th Birthday".Google.29 September 2023.
  34. ^Just Dance 2025 Edition."Mihaly's name is a reference to Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the psychologist who discussed the concept of Flow".X (formerly Twitter).Retrieved10 October2023.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)[better source needed]
  35. ^"INTRINSIC REWARDS AND EMERGENT MOTIVATIONMihaly Csikszentmihalyi".The Hidden Costs of Reward.Taylor Francis. 2015. pp. 223–234.doi:10.4324/9781315666983-19(inactive 1 November 2024).ISBN9781315666983.Archived fromthe originalon 11 April 2021.Retrieved21 October2021.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  36. ^"Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet".HBSWK.edu.Retrieved21 October2021.
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