Negative affect in sustained flow: An investigation into adverse consequences of prolonged engagement

Abstract

Sustained flow (SF) is a motivational phenomenon characterised by long-term, heightened engagement in pursuit of personally meaningful goals (Dörnyei et al. 2014). As SF experiences allow indi-viduals to produce exceptional accomplishments, it was initially conceptualised that positive emotionality is the only type of affect associated with the flow. However, a closer analysis of former studies revealed that negative emotions, such as frustration or anxiety, are not uncommon for the phenomenon at hand (Ibrahim 2016; Muir 2020; Sak & Gurbuz 2022). Considering the scarcity of prior efforts to scrutinise SF experiences for the presence of negative affect, the present study was initiated to fill the gap in SF-relat-ed research. Following the sampling phase, which sought to identify prospective SFs amongst 163 adult individuals learning foreign languages, thematic analysis was applied to elucidate the nature of the affect experienced by the respondents. The final sample consisted of 4 participants who reported experiencing severe negative emotional stimulation associated with their SFs. Based on these accounts, three major sources of negative affect were identified, i.e., preoccupation beyond SF requirements, inner coercion to perform SF routines, and a prolonged sense of loss. While instances of negative affect associated with SF are relatively rare, it was found that this type of emotionality may cause some experiences to cease prematurely, and some of its potential consequences may exceed the lifespan of SF.