Stefan Engeser

Advances in flow research

- Historical lines and overview of current research.- A closer look at methodological approaches.- Factors predicting flow experience.- Flow, motivation and performance.- Flow in a non-achievement situation.- Flow as a feeling of oneness.- The dark side of the moon: negative aspects of Flow.-Neuropsychological correlates of flow experience.- Autotelic personality.- Theoretical integration and future lines.

Motivation, Flow- Erleben und Lernleistung in universitären Lernsettings 1

Zusammenfassung: Im kognitiv-motivationalen Prozessmodell des Lernens wird angenommen, dass der Lernerfolg von der Qualitat und der Dauer ausgefuhrter Lernaktivitaten, aber auch vom Funktionszustand des Lerners wahrend der Lernphase abhangt. Es wird vermutet, dass eine von mehreren Variablen des Funktionszustandes der Flow-Zustand wahrend des Lernens ist. In einer Untersuchung in universitaren Fremdsprachenkursen zeigte sich in der Tat, dass Flow-Erleben wahrend des Unterrichts die spateren Lernleistungen auch dann vorhersagt, wenn der Leistungseffekt relevanter Kompetenzvariablen vorweg berucksichtigt wird. Gemas dem kognitiv-motivationalen Prozessmodell wird Flow-Erleben seinerseits uber die aktuelle Motivation vor der Lernphase vorhergesagt, wobei die wiederum von einer allgemeineren Motivationsvariablen zu Semesterbeginn abhangt. Diese Struktur wurde in einer zweiten Untersuchung repliziert und zwar an Studenten im Verlauf ihrer Statistikausbildung im Fach Psychologie. Beide Ergebnisse sprechen dafur,...

Flow bei der Arbeit, doch Glück in der Freizeit

Zusammenfassung. Bei N = 101 Arbeitnehmern verschiedener Berufe wurden mit der Experience Sampling Method (ESM) eine Woche lang Daten zum Flow-Erleben, zu Gluck/Zufriedenheit und zur Zielausrichtung laufender Aktivitaten erhoben (N = 4 603 Messungen). Die Daten wurden mit GLMM-Analysen ausgewertet. Auch bei der jetzt vollstandigen Erfassung aller Flow-Komponenten mit der FKS bestatigte sich das Paradoxon der Arbeit, wonach wahrend der Arbeit hohere Flow-Werte, aber niedrigere Werte fur Gluck/Zufriedenheit auftreten als jeweils in der Freizeit. Wahrend der Arbeit waren Aktivitaten haufiger auf die Erreichung von Zielen ausgerichtet als wahrend der Freizeit. Die Zielausrichtung wirkte auf Flow vs. Gluck/Zufriedenheit signifikant verschieden. Wahrend der Arbeit hat die Zielausrichtung auf Flow einen stark positiven Effekt, auf Gluck/Zufriedenheit jedoch nicht. Im Freizeitbereich war der Effekt von Zielausrichtung auf Gluck/Zufriedenheit sogar negativ. Das Paradoxon der Arbeit lasst sich partiell als Effekt d...

Historical Lines and an Overview of Current Research on Flow

This chapter introduces the flow concept by listing the components of flow as provided by Csikszentmihalyi. We will show that these components constitute the widely shared definitional ground of researchers in the field, with only minor variation between research groups and time periods. Next, we try to clarify some lingering ambiguities regarding the components of flow, and then talk about flow as an optimal experience as well as discussing flow and happiness. Subsequently, we trace the history of flow. We take time to describe the beginnings of flow research by Csikszentmihalyi and a similar research program by Rheinberg in Germany. Following the description of flow and qualitative analyses, the quantitative method of the experience sampling method (ESM), which has greatly influenced research on flow, will be presented. Creativity and well-being remain an important part of flow research and will be considered here, but flow research has entered many other areas, spanning from a strong emphasis on sport, learning, and flow at work to the emerging research on flow in teams and social interaction or psychophysiological correlates of flow. Finally, we complete this chapter by exploring methodological aspects of the research on flow.

Attitudes Toward Cognitive Enhancement in Users and Nonusers of Stimulants for Cognitive Enhancement: A Pilot Study

Background: The goal of this pilot study was to assess attitudes toward cognitive enhancement (CE) in users and nonusers of prescription or illicit stimulants for CE. Methods: Self-rating questionnaires were used to assess general attitudes toward CE in a sample of 1,035 high school students and 512 undergraduate university students in Germany. Attitudes were also assessed in a subgroup of 49 users of prescription and/or illicit stimulants and compared to the remaining group of nonusers. Results: When asked about the conditions under which participants would consider the use of substances for CE, more than 80% of participants answered that such substances must not lead to long-term damage or addiction if they were to consider using them, while 95% (more often females than males) thought that currently available substances would lead to addiction. Only 16% would not use cognitive enhancers under any condition. A minority of participants (more males than females) stated that students with low academic performance (26%), pilots (21.6%), or physicians (18.9%) should be allowed to use cognitive enhancers; 50.4% would support the use among the cognitively impaired elderly. Compared to nonusers, users were significantly more likely to (1) believe that it was fair for others to use cognitive enhancers, (2) allow the use in students with lower academic performance, and (3) use cognitive enhancers if others did. Reported substance use was associated with higher achievement motivation and with a stronger external locus of control. Conclusions: The disposition to use cognitive enhancers among high school and university students in Germany is high, if substances are safe. However, fear of addiction and doubts about fairness lead most participants to abstain from stimulant use for CE.

Intrinsic Motivation and Flow

The performance of an activity can have positive incentives per se and individuals may engage in an activity purely for the enjoyment of it. The engagement due to the enjoyment of an activity is often called intrinsic motivation. Besides this understanding of intrinsic motivation, other conceptions are presented (self-determination, experience of competence, interest and involvement, mean-end-correspondence, learning-goal orientation). In doing so, the problem became evident, that the term intrinsic motivation refers to different, even conflicting conceptions. With the “Extended Cognitive Model of Motivation” different aspects of motivation are theoretically integrated. Instead of using the term intrinsic motivation, we use the term activity-related motivation. Qualitative and quantitative ways to measure activity-related incentives are outlined. Finally we present an intensively studied activity-related incentive, i.e., the experience of flow.

Live to Work or Love to Work: Work Craving and Work Engagement

Objective According to the theory of work craving, a workaholic has a craving for self-worth compensatory incentives and an expectation of relief from negative affect experienced through neurotic perfectionism and an obsessive-compulsive style of working. Research has shown that workaholism and work engagement should be considered as two distinct work styles with different health consequences. However, the mechanisms underlying the adoption of these work styles have been neglected. The present study proposes that work craving and work engagement are differentially associated with self-regulatory competencies and health. In particular, we expected that the working styles mediate the relationships between emotional self-regulation and health. Methods: In the cross-sectional study, 469 teachers from German schools completed online administered questionnaires. By means of structural equation modeling, we tested two indirect paths: a) from self-relaxation deficits via work craving to poor health and b) from self-motivation competencies via work engagement to good health. Results As expected, we found evidence that a) the negative relationship of self-relaxation deficits on health was partially mediated by work craving and b) the positive relationship of self-motivation competencies on health was partially mediated by work engagement. Conclusions The present study emphasizes the importance of self-regulation competencies for healthy or unhealthy work styles. Whereas work craving was associated with a low ability to down-regulate negative emotions and poor health, work engagement was associated with a high ability to up-regulate positive emotions and good health.

Mapping explicit social motives of achievement, power, and affiliation onto the five‐factor model of personality

Previous research has shown that explicit motives are meaningfully related to the five-factor model of personality. The present study extends this research by using different measures of the explicit social motives of achievement, power and affiliation, and by employing measures of both approach and avoidance of these motives. Correlational and factor analyses demonstrated that explicit motives of achievement, power, and affiliation, both approach and avoidance components of these motives, can be consistently mapped onto personality trait measures of the five-factor model. Implications of this general finding, along with some exceptions, are discussed with regard to further research.

Nonconscious Activation of Achievement Goals: Moderated by Word Class and the Explicit Achievement Motive?

In a series of experiments, Bargh, Gollwitzer, Lee-Chai, Barndollar, and Trotschel (2001) documented that achievement goals can be activated outside of awareness and can then operate nonconsciously in order to guide self-regulated behavior effectively. In three experiments (N = 69, N = 71, N = 56), two potential moderators of the achievement goal priming effect were explored. All three experiments showed small but consistent effects of the nonconscious activation of the achievement goal, though word class did not moderate the priming effect. There was no support for the hypothesis that the explicit achievement motive moderates the priming effect. Implications are addressed in the light of other recent studies in this domain and further research questions are outlined.

Theoretical Integration and Future Lines of Flow Research

The final chapter provides a short summary of all chapters of the book and points to similarities between the chapters and what these imply for future research. It highlights some details on the differentiation of frequency and intensity of flow and how this could be conceptualized. Next, the role of intrinsic and extrinsic reasons for action is discussed. For the development of autotelic personality, it is proposed that we do not have to start from scratch on this important topic. Further, the chapter discusses that we are close to a common understanding on the measurement of flow using the experience sampling method (ESM) and that this method provides rich data that are not being fully utilized. Finally, some speculation on cognitive aspects and flow is made regarding the first data at hand. The chapter ends with a personal view on one possible research agenda.