Psychological Antecedents of Flow in Recreational Sport

Abstract

Three studies investigated three potential psychological antecedents of flow in sport-goals, competence, and confidence. These studies examined tennis players competing in a weekend tournament, basketball players in college activity classes, and golf regulars. The first study had the participants rate flow characteristics, whereas the second and third studies used the experience sampling method to measure flow. In a learning environment (basketball activity classes), students inflow experienced greater enjoyment, satisfaction, concentration, and control than their counterparts in boredom, apathy, or anxiety. In a competitive environment (tennis tournament and golf), athletes inflow or boredom states had a better quality of experience than individuals in apathy or anxiety states. These results suggest that contextual differences influence why an athlete perceives a situation as optimal. The psychological antecedents of flow for sport participants remain unidentified, as neither goals, competence, nor confidence predicted the flow experience.

Dynamic patterns of flow in the workplace: Characterizing within‐individual variability using a complexity science approach

“…The flow diary featured six questions covering several variables, which, as suggested by the flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975(Csikszentmihalyi, , 1990Stein, Kimiecik, Danields, & Jackson, 1995), are at the core of the experience of flow: activity, perceived challenge, perceived skill, enjoyment, interest, and absorption. Specifically, the questions in the flow diary were as follows: The first question aimed at focusing the individual's attention on a specific activity (the one being performed when the PDA beeped), so that the other questions were answered with this activity in mind.…”

Flow-Erleben in einem Computerspiel unter experimentell variierten Bedingungen

“…Reihenfolge und zwar so, dass sich die sehr leichten und sehr schwierigen Stufen nicht häuften (Reihenfolge: 1,3,4,8,2,10,5,7,9,6 (Jackson et al, 1998;Stein, Kimiecik, Daniels & Jackson, 1995 …”

Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis of the Flow State Scale in exercise

“…Therefore, understanding the psychology of optimal performance during exercise participation is a desirable goal for those who are interested in promoting the enjoyment of exercise, positive affective experiences, and adherence. Many researchers have attempted to elucidate the precise nature of flow experiences (Jackson, 1992(Jackson, , 1995(Jackson, , 1996Jackson and Roberts, 1992;Jackson, Kimiecik, Ford, and Marsh, 1998;Kimiecik and Stein, 1992;Stein, Kimiecik, Daniels, and Jackson, 1995). There is a consensus that flow is a state in which one is Flow State Scale 4 totally absorbed in the task, leading to optimal physical and mental functioning.…”