Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Hungarian-born American psychologist known for the concept of flow
Psychologist born in Fiume who worked in the United States, best known for describing flow, a state of full immersion in an activity when skill matches challenge, and for helping to introduce positive psychology.
Why this person matters
Csikszentmihalyi's work on flow gave psychologists a way to study enjoyment and intrinsic motivation. He worked with colleagues including Jeanne Nakamura and Martin Seligman, and his 1990 book Flow became a bestseller.
Main contributions
Flow
He described flow as being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. Reference sources list conditions such as a balance of challenge and skill, clear goals, immediate feedback and loss of self-consciousness. His 1975 book Beyond Boredom and Anxiety and the 1990 book Flow set out the idea.
Positive psychology
With Martin Seligman he introduced positive psychology to the profession in a 2000 American Psychologist article. At Claremont Graduate University he helped create a positive psychology programme.
Quality of Life Research Center
In 1999, after arriving at Claremont Graduate University, he founded the Quality of Life Research Center with his colleague Jeanne Nakamura.
Context and limits
The sources read describe flow and its conditions but contain no critique of the research, so students should check the evidence for flow in the research literature. The university's obituary says he was recruited to Claremont in the 1990s and also that he arrived in 1999, so the exact year of his move is unclear.
In your introductory course
Motivation and emotion.Flow appears in chapters on motivation, emotion and wellbeing. It is a common example in discussions of intrinsic motivation and positive psychology.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 7.4. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 1975
He published Beyond Boredom and Anxiety.
- 1990
He published Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience.
- 1999
He founded the Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University.
- 2000
He and Seligman introduced positive psychology in an American Psychologist article.
Sources
- Claremont Graduate University, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi obituaryUniversity. Institutional biography inspected.
- Wikipedia, Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiReference work. Reference article inspected.