Entry #1 That optimal point

In my previous post I discussed what is leisure, play, and recreation. To further that conversation I will discuss a particular theory to can connect play and experience in relation to the topic. 

Recently when discussing with colleagues and classmates about leisure studies the topic of Flow or "the zone" was brought up. Flow is that moment in time when the ability/skill of a person is equally balanced with challenge of an activity.  When I played competitive softball there were moments when I intrinsically moved to a play and made plays on instinct without a single thought. The concept of flow has been thoroughly researched by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Dr. Csikszentmihalyi describes flow as the point when the participant is at an optimal psychological state, a state of consciousness, immersion in the activity, concentrated focus, and a perceived optimal experience. In essence flow is experienced when a person maintains a loss of concentration of  outside distracts and concentrates purely on the activity in which they are in engaged in at that moment. If you have ever caught yourself say "I lost track of time" or "Time got away from me", more then likely you have experienced flow while actively participating in that given activity. 

With the explanation and examples presented one might wonder how do we determine when someone has reach that optimal point of skill and challenge creating "flow"? Firstly, taking from the conceptual definition of how flow can be experienced. I can narrow specific domains in which I can begin to create operational definitions that list variables to determine if someone has experienced flow. Possible variables included but are not limited to: awareness of sounds and movements not in the area of play, the amount of time required to preform an action, the amount of eye contact and or body language with other members involved, and overall satisfaction expressed by the participant(s). 

When determining a persons awareness of the surroundings not in the area of play we first must determine what is the area of play. For the purpose of this example the area of play is the marked or known area in which a person will be activity using for the given activity. For example the lines drawn a basketball gym floor is the area of play and the bleachers and benches for coaches and extra players is the outside information processed preventing flow. For our purpose a low level of interaction and reaction to the out of play area is one determining variable of being a state of flow. 

To determine the amount of to perform an action we can consider the pace and quick reactions of the participant(s). It takes about one to two more seconds to perform an action if thought is required instead of instinctively using automaticity to complete a task. When measuring this amount of time we can also look at the amount of eye contact or body language expressed between participants before and after an action is performed. Was there communication prior or was it spontaneous based on prior knowledge of patterns of the participant(s)? The lower amount of time to perform an action is a positive variable towards flow occurring. 

Lastly, a variable that will vary from participant but is still a factor to determine flow is the satisfaction of the participant. Satisfaction for this purpose is determined by the overall feeling of enjoyment and loss of time the participant experienced during the activity. A high rating of satisfaction and/or loss of time from the participant is a positive variable that flow had occurred. 

If all of the variables are met then based on my construct flow has been met for the given activity participant(s) engaged in. 

Overall flow is that perfect combination when skill level of the individual is proportionate to the challenge being presented. Flow is the occurrence of instinct presenting itself when trying to reach the goal presented by the challenge.  

Fun clip about the "the zone" flow

https://youtu.be/0vEIDij8Q9k

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

http://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow?language=en