Concepto de competencia.

Person’s Average Challenge BOREDOM APATHY Person’s Average Skill

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challenges, and develops the mid-range of skills necessary to overcome these middle level challenges (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997a). (See Figure 2).

Individuals experience different average levels of challenges and average level of skill each week. Csikszentmihalyi (1997a) researched more than a quarter million individuals to determine responses to challenges. The study determined that the most positive experiences of flow occur when both

challenges and skills are above their average point. When challenges and skills are in balance but at a high level, individuals feel happy because they feel in control. Arousal and control are positions where individuals can easily move into flow. From arousal, an individual can move into flow with an increase of skills to meet higher challenges. From control, someone can move into flow with an increase of challenges (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997b). Thus, when an individual is focusing on the skills needed to meet a heightened level of challenges, the mind cannot focus on those skills and an activity outside the parameters of the activity that is engaging the participant. Most people prefer to participate in non-

challenging activities that require few skills or little expenditure of energy

(Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000). For example, watching television takes up the largest portion of most people’s free time (Kubey & Csikszentmihalyi, 2002). However, the most meaningful, enjoyable events in the lives of people are those where tasks were confronted and mastered, becoming milestone events

Intense flow experiences may be relatively rare in everyday life, but almost everything , including play, work, study, and religious ritual, is able to produce it, provided challenges are high and the skill level is equal to the high level of challenges. Research indicates that athletes and performing artists often talk about “being in the zone” , a state in which the body and mind work in

harmony to create a calm, energized, focused, confident response to challenges at a high level (MayoClinic.com, 2002). Individuals “in the zone”, synonymous with a state of flow, seek to re-create the actions that caused them to react

calmly, confidently, and energized in response to heightened levels of challenge. This phenomenon is experienced by individuals in all professions and jobs. Members of surgical teams often experience a sense of flow because they are engaged in challenging activities as members of a team while receiving immediate feedback about their successful achievement of the goals of the surgical activities (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997c). Flow can be work-related and varies based on the career area. Some managers prefer solving problems and writing. Some clerical workers prefer typing and keypunching. Some blue collar workers prefer fixing equipment. Novelty and variety produces the type of excitement that leads to flow on the job. However, some individuals find flow in jobs that are boring and depressing for others. For example, assembly line work sends some into flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997c). On the other hand, quiet activities such as vegetable gardening may also produce a state of flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997c).

Spending time in flow promotes learning and the acquisition of skills because an adolescent is so absorbed in an activity that he or she loses track of

time and feels at one with the activity (Csikszentmihalyi 1990a). Productive activities, such as homework and class work, are the largest source of flow for adolescents. Whereas, resting, eating, listening to music, watching TV are all sources of relaxation These relaxation activities, with low-levels of challenges, require low levels of skills and, therefore, do not produce flow. Students

experience anxiety at a very high level when engaged in academic and work- related activities but anxiety is almost non-existent when adolescents are engaged n relaxing activities alternating anxiety with flow experiences helps adolescents to understand and develop the learning process that works best for them while their skills grow to meet new challenges (Csikszentmihalyi &

Schneider, 2000).

Young people who report high levels of flow also report valuing such things as “preparing yourself for a secure job” and “living up to your parents’ expectations”, leading them to seek material benefits and social recognition as well as the rewards of a job well done (Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000). Adolescents who are often in flow are able to envision more potential rewards for their efforts than their peers do, helping them to sustain their motivation even when the task increases in difficulty. Students report higher levels of flow in nonacademic courses such as vocational education, computer science, and art Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000).

Students who experience high levels of flow also “report higher levels of concentration, self-esteem, and a stronger concern for relevant future goals

time engaged in academic activities (class work and homework) and job-related activities (vocational education) instead of passive activities like watching TV or listening to music. Alternating anxiety with flow experiences helps adolescents to understand and develop the learning process that works best for them while their skills grow to meet new challenges (Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000). The Csikszentmihalyi and Schneider (2000) study confirmed that these students are far more optimistic about the future than students who do not experience flow or who only have a low level of flow experiences. Adolescents who are apathetic or anxious do not feel confident about the future or open to new experiences

(Csikszentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000).

Flow involves a movement toward becoming more intrinsically motivated to be a self-directed learner. As students develop flow experiences through their school work, they devote more time to their school work and less time to leisure activities. In contrast to most students who have negative feelings toward school work, students who experience flow through school work, have very positive feelings toward their school work (Hektner & Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). Those capable of flow could often be described as having an “autotelic” personality, a tendency to become involved in activities for their own sake (Csikszentmihalyi 1975). Talented students with autotelic personalities, tended to have a more positive view of their lives, especially during productive activities such as

studying, doing homework, or working (Adlai-Gail 1994; Csikszentmihalyi, 1993; Hektner & Csikszentmihalyi, 1996).

Research of flow has focused on contexts or activities in eliciting flow (LeFevre, 1988) and on the range of peoples’ experiences in flow (Adlai-Gail, 1994). However, there have been only a few longitudinal studies of the flow experiences (Csikszentmihalyi, et al., 1993; Hektner & Csikszentmihalyi, 1996; Csiksentmihalyi & Schneider, 2000), and these studies focused on the flow experiences of adolescents. To fully experience flow, individuals must recognize challenges in their environment that match their skills, thus creating a state of flow. In a longitudinal study of adolescent social development (Bidwell, et al., 1992), not flow experiences, of students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 at sites across the country, it was determined that concentration and importance to future goals were the most important factors in the production of flow while mood was the least important factor. In another study, (Hektner & Csikszentmihalyi, 1996), it was found that flow and the quality of the experience remains stable over time. In a 1996 study of adolescents, Hektner and Csikszentmihalyi found that school work brings about the most positive experiences for students but also creates moods and motivation far below weekly averages. The study also found that students viewed school work as being important for their future goals and

required a high level of concentration. “Adolescents who increase in flow do more school work, build stronger links between their current activities and their career goals, and feel more strongly that their daily activities are important to their future goals”(Hektner & Csikszentmihalyi, 1996).