My notes about FLOW - MT

happiness revisited

People who control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives

Viktor Frankl - For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; ....personal dedication to a course greater than oneself

optimal experience

overview

a sense of participation in determining the content of life

... realistic goals, and when skills match the opportunities for action

the roots of discontent

... the universe was not designed with the comfort of human beings in mind

the anatomy of consiousness - 23(+9=32)

MT - brain as a financial system, not as a computer? MC - Consciousness as a clearing house

a phenomenological model of consciousness based on information theory
intentions

the limits of consciousness
attention as psychic energy

MT - Herbert Simon about attention

enter the self
disorder in consciousness: psychic entropy
order
complexity and the growth of the self

MT - the dialectics of integration and differentiation

the self becomes complex as a result of experiencing flow. Paradoxically, when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were.

enjoyment and the quality of life

the flow of thought

outline

1 Happiness Revisited 1
Introduction 1
Overview 5
The Roots of Discontent 8
The Shields of Culture 10
Reclaiming Experience 16
Paths of Liberation 20
2 The Anatomy of Consciousness 23
The Limits of Consciousness 28
Attention as Psychic Energy 30
Enter the Self 33
Disorder in Consciousness: Psychic Entropy 36
Order in Consciousness: Flow 39
Complexity and the Growth of the Self 41
3 Enjoyment and the Quality of Life 43
Pleasure and Enjoyment 45
The Elements of Enjoyment 48
The Autotelic Experience 67
4 The Conditions of Flow 71
Flow Activities 72
Flow and Culture 77
The Autotelic Personality 83
The People of Flow 90
5 The Body in Flow 94
Higher, Faster, Stronger 96
The Joys of Movement 99
Sex as Flow 100
The Ultimate Control: Yoga and the Martial Arts 103
Flow through the Senses: The Joys of Seeing 106
The Flow of Music 108
The Joys of Tasting 113
6 The Flow of Thought 117
The Mother of Science 120
The Rules of the Games of the Mind 124
The Play of Words 128
Befriending Clio 132
The Delights of Science 134
Loving Wisdom 138
Amateurs and Professionals 139
The Challenge of Lifelong Learning 141
7 Work as Flow 143
Autotelic Workers 144
Autotelic Jobs 152
The Paradox of Work 157
The Waste of Free Time 162
8 Enjoying Solitude and Other People 164
The Conflict between Being Alone and Being with Others 165
The Pain of Loneliness 168
Taming Solitude 173
Flow and the Family 175
Enjoying Friends 185
The Wider Community 190
9 Cheating Chaos 192
Tragedies Transformed 193
Coping with Stress 198
The Power of Dissipative Structures 201
The Autotelic Self: A Summary 208
10 The Making of Meaning 214
What Meaning Means 215
Cultivating Purpose 218
Forging Resolve 223
Recovering Harmony 227
The Unification of Meaning in Life Themes 230
Notes 241
References

Dashboard