|
 how different people create meaning in life with full intention and focus thus gaining satisfaction and fulfillment
Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention
Review by Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.
Mihaly's last name is pronounced chick-sent-mih-high, and the intent of his book is to describe how different people create meaning in life with full intention and focus and thereby achieve an ongoing state of satisfaction and sense of fulfillment. It is, thus, not a recipe book for self-improvement, but Csikszentmihalyi offers general concepts -- principles (a flexible framework) -- that can be applied to yourself and your life. Although he is a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, this is not a textbook, and it is not about psychology alone. With psychology, he interweaves philosophy, anthropology, and sociology as well. It is written for everyone, and it explains an important concept. The major components of the flow experience include: 1) There's clarity of goals, 2) Feedback is immediate. You know moment-by-moment how well you're doing, 3) The challenges of the activity are matched with the skills of the person, 4) There's a feeling of focus on what you're doing, 5) Everyday frustrations are removed from your attention, 6) You feel that you can be control of your life, 7) You also lose a sense of self-consciousness, 8) And, finally, a sense of time is transformed. His discussion of "the zone" or the state of "Flow" is thorough, comprehensive, and clear. This is an engaging, thought-provoking, eye-opening book by a knowledgeable, educated man who offers readers a popularized examination of the intellectual bases for the concept of flow. He doesn't use long lists of scholars, rather, he uses copious "real life" examples to illustrate the concepts he introduces -- how to achieve optimal experience. This is not a "fun" read unless you like critical analysis of psychological processes, but his approach is logical, linear, and well illustrated. Once you read it, you will want to save it and re-read it from time-to-time. As an author who has experienced flow many times in his life, I can tell you that it is wonderful having this book as a mental reference for understanding the entire process.
 an odd definition of creativuty
This book narrowly defines Creative people as those who have made a name for themselves by "changing their domain". While it is interesting to read about some of the world's most Ambitious and Recognized creatives, it thereby instantly excludes all the people who are true artists in their craft, but simply have not been recognized publicly by society or become famous in their chosen fields. A frustrating and exclusionary take - much too narrow for me.
 I now more fully understand how I think
I consider myself one who is inclined towards creative solutions when dealing with life. I enjoy representing my reality through various mental images that others often consider absurd, odd, etc.; often those mental images lead to a creative solution to a problem. Up until now I thought that this process was simply "my style" of representing and dealing with the world around me. I knew that others had similar tendencies (With differing fields of specialty, interests, hobbies, etc.), but I never thought that such a seemingly chaotic process (Creative thinking) could be broken down into such easy to understand terms (With a minimal amount of psycho-babble). This book does just that.
As a result of reading this book (And I'm just about finished with the other book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience"), I have learned more about how and why I think the way I do. It is a wonderful feeling.
Excellent book
The description posted here doesn't do the book justice - I own a copy and still made 8 pages of notes for myself. Typed pages! Dr. Csikszentmihalyi distills and highlights the creative moments in life and how to create more creative moments in your own. It is not dry reading - the interviews and comments from his pool of world-class 'creative' people was very enjoyable and I liked that portion the least! Here's one of my favorite quotes: 'Creativity is a central source of meaning in our lives for several reasons.. First, most of the things that are interesting, important, and human are the results of creativity.
We share 98 percent of our genetic makeup with chimpanzees. What makes us different - our language, values, artistic expression, scientific understanding, and technology - is the result of individual ingenuity that was recognized, rewarded, and transmitted through learning. Without creativity, it would be difficult indeed to distinguish humans from apes.'
 Long and deep but very interesting
Very interesting and detailed book. Helps explain the true reality and complexity of creativity - that it is a system of multiple environmental, technology and human personality elements which in combination and interaction bring about new products and processes.
|
