The Flow Theory

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The word 'leisure', to most people, is believed to mean "free time". In a society run by the second hand of the clock one can see that time is not "free", and this statement is thus filled with deficiencies. Furthermore, the idea that "time is money", in today's capitalist society, puts a strain on seeing leisure as such. Philosophers, such as Csiksentmihalyi and Kubey who are later quoted in this text, have invited a way for humans to flourish and find excellence in all of our daily activities by introducing the Flow Theory.

The idea behind this paper is to give you, the reader, a clear understanding of 'flow'; being the state of, the theory behind it, and the concept. I will first enlighten the reader with such, and follow with a description of a situation that I myself have been in that was lacking in 'flow'. I will furthermore give a description of how I could have "framed" the situation in order to have been able to experience 'flow'. I will conclude with a description of the same situation from the point of view of Virtue Theory (which I will later elaborate on), identifying the virtues that could have been used, and those that were.

To understand the theory of 'flow', one must first have a clear understanding of the state of 'flow', which can be described as

-the concentration of attention on a limited stimulus field

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-forgetting of ones personal problems

-a loss of the sense of time and of ones self

-the feeling of competency

-the feeling of being in control

-having a sense of harmony and union with ones surroundings

-a balance of ones "inner" and "outer" skills being used

At the most general level, it can be said that 'flow' is a state of experience

that is autotelic or intrinsically rewarding; hence, it provides its own

motivation. [Csiksentmihalyi P5]

At its most simplistic level, 'flow' is the balanced state between boredom and anxiety. In achieving this balance, one can find pure enjoyment, which leads to the theory of 'flow'.

From the Buddhist perspective, one works to utilize skills and cultivate many forms of excellence.

….[W]hat human beings need, in order to flourish, is to challenge their skills and experience the satisfaction of sharply focused attention on interesting fields of endeavor. [Mason P]

From this, one can derive an autotelic function-something that provides an experience that is intrinsically rewarding.

The theory behind 'flow' is human flourishing and human excellence. It is the idea that one can improve the quality of ones life by the way in which we invest our attention, be it at a job, at school, a sport, ect. The idea is that one can find a balance between boredom and anxiety in any aspect/activity of life by sharpening their skills and/or shaping the environment to experience a state of mind ('flow') which is very satisfying and enjoying. It is a way to augment the quality of our lives, and show that we can flourish (have pure enjoyment) in any activity.

The concept of flow makes it possible to see work, and culture definitions of life style in general, as much more flexible than they usually are thought to be. It allows us to question the necessity of drudgery and anxiety, and it suggests ways in which everyday life can be made more free. [Csikszentmihalyi P4]

A situation that I have been many times in the past that was not conducive to 'flow' was when I was doing the household chore of cleaning. I am not what one would call a "neat freak", in fact I am known to be quite the opposite.

I was living at my mother's house in Ottawa. I had promised my mother that I would have my bedroom clean by Wednesday evening. A real estate agent was coming over Thursday evening to appraise our house. It was Wednesday evening, and I was just getting home from work. I was starving, and my plans were to eat a quick dinner and then head out to meet some friends. As soon as I opened the front door, I heard my mother calling to me, saying that my room was waiting for me. Frustrated, I stormed up to my bedroom to begin the torture.

This was a torture that I seemed to be enduring on a monthly basis (if I could get away with it for that long). While I engaged myself in the activity of cleaning, I would definitely say that I was in a state far from 'flow' for many reasons;

-I spent more time staring at the clock than the contents of my room

-I was doing this task to please my mother

-I wanted to do the quickest job possible in order to eat and meet my friends on time

-I spent more time thinking of how to get even with my mother than I spent organizing my stuff

-my concentration of attention was on my plans for that evening, not on the activity itself

-I was very aware of my personal problems (such as having to clean up) and was feeling quite sorry for myself

-I was very aware of the time I believed was being wasted

-I had a feeling of total incompetency as the contents of my bulging closet fell to the floor as I tried to stuff in one last article of clothing

-I felt as though it were my mother who was in control, not myself

-I was not using any skills relevant to cleaning (and therefore had no balance)

-I was furious with my surroundings

-once I had finished (or at least I believed the job was done) I felt no satisfaction

This example, simplistic as it may seem, seeks to prove that any situation can become a 'flow' situation.

In order to have experienced 'flow' while cleaning, I would have had to frame the situation in other ways;

-seeing the task as meaningful in itself

-knowing that I could do this and thus feeling competent about it

-sharpening my cleaning skills

-using what little skills I already had to find a balance

-limiting my stimulus field to what I was doing at the time and concentrating my attention on it

-doing the task more regularly in order to have a sense of being in control

-realizing that there is reward in having a clean room for itself

-seeing it as a start to order in my life in the more general meaning

-expanding the limit to my attention

…attention is required to bring order to experience…[Kubey&Csiksent]

We can look at this situation from the point of view of Virtue Theory as well. Virtue theory, like 'flow' theory is a theory about human motivation. The idea behind this theory is that;

…human beings are not only motivated to seek pleasure and enjoyment and avoid pain and discomfort, they are also capable of acting for the sake of other values, and are often willing to give up pleasure and enjoyment, and accept discomfort and even pain, for the sake of these values. [Furthermore], people should organize their lives so that these other values play a prominent role in shaping the kind of persons they become. Life, on this view, is about becoming a better person through the acquisition of virtue and wisdom. As we grow older, we can gain insight and benefit others from having developed as persons, or we can simply become less and less powerful and increasingly small-minded. [Mason P1]

A virtue is an aquired character trait. A trait must be something that makes someone a better person, it is…

…[what] someone needs in order to flourish, or to live well as a human being. A virtue is an axcellence. But not just a passing one that you display for a while. It is a deep trait of a person…something you might…cite when you wish to honour that person… [Mason P6.]

A virtue consists only of a trait which is praiseworthy, the opposite, a vice.

The definition of Virtue theory can be viewed as such;

-an AQUIRED

-EXCELLENCE (trait,quality)

-for which we are RESPONSIBLE

-aquired by TRAINING and HABBIT

-is subject to PRAISE and BLAME

-has a corresponding VICE

-is part of ones identity as a person

From the point of view of Virtue theory;

-life is better if you cultivate higher desires

-not all desires are worthy

-pursuing something that is genuinly worthwhile

-worth sacrificing enjoyment for

-what human potentiality is all about

-aspiring to certain ideals in ones life

-fullness of life

-development as a person

-meaningful existence

When using (or applying) a virtue (valuable quality), you get intrinsic value regardless of enjoyment. Furthermore, essential to a virtue is understanding the good in it.

Aristotle viewed virtue as the mean between two extremes- they are excellences of character that promote human flourishing, whereas vices are weaknesses that impede flourishing.

We are not made good or bad by nature. [Aristotle]

From the description of my experience with cleaning, one can safely say that I exercised no virtues. However, certain vices were exercised;

-dedication-to my later plans that evening not to be late

-honesty-I told my mother just how unfair I felt the situation was

Certain virtues that I should have exercised;

-respect-for my mother

-dedication-to my room

-patience-to do a good job

-sense of order/beauty-for my room

-creativity-for a messy yet clean room

-perseverance-to see the task through regardless of other plans

-temperance

Years later, I have been in 'flow' while doing household chores. I have, as well, definitely applied many of the above mentioned virtues as well. With the understanding of these theories, I can already see that I have been and continue to be gaining a higher quality of life.

Regardless of the activity, (or even age, as my experience was plucked from years ago), one can see that 'flow' theory (with its own deficiencies) and Virtue theory alike, strive towards human excellence and human flourishing. With these theories alive in our minds on a daily basis, we can all improve the quality of our lives at work, rest and play.Please note that this sample paper on The Flow Theory is for your review only. In order to eliminate any of the plagiarism issues, it is highly recommended that you do not use it for you own writing purposes. In case you experience difficulties with writing a well structured and accurately composed paper on The Flow Theory, we are here to assist you. Your persuasive essay on The Flow Theory will be written from scratch, so you do not have to worry about its originality.

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