8 Dec 2008
Happiness, Csikszentmihalyi's Concept of "Flow"
(Referencing this post)‘but through the abandonment of control of the face: the laugh.’
Loved this Post Bryon, I did read the whole thing because I like your writing and ideas, and I wish I’d taken Psychology further, now I look for the psychology (ie psychoanalytical and lacanian) approaches to Literature whilst I’m studying texts. It’s only a small portion of what I study but it definitely interests me. I wish I knew people like you at University who werent wasting away their three years…
I agree as an artist, when I am writing a song, or writing anything at all, I demand of myself certain aspirations and collapse under self doubt etc, and I go through massive periods of unhappiness, yet even after I have finished it, I have felt like I do not finish it, that it is not good enough and that goes on to create and entirely new relative unhappiness that corresponded to the process of unhappiness before it. Would you describe it as deviant behaviour if we are not ‘flooded with gratitude for the excellence of that experience—then, in retrospect, we are happy’ or is that yet another mental schema to be explored in relation to Csikszentmihalyi (Try saying that after coffee) ideas?
Tallie,
Although Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced “chick-SENT-me-high”) doesn’t seem to specifically address self-doubt, in my two books on flow, I think some of the things he writes may be helpful. I’m guessing he might look at this in his book, Creativity, but I haven’t gotten that one yet; I’ll let you know when I do. You present an interesting and important question, though, and I’m going to forward it to my advising professor at the lab to see what she thinks about it. But for now, I’ll tell you what I think.
First of all, creative endeavors are unique because their results are inextricably and imperatively tied to the processes. “MC” would insist that the results are not the most important part (read: way to become happy), but that the process is. The idea is that in work, relationships, and our own [creative] lives we must strive to find those activities which we love for their own sake—i.e. we love doing them for themselves, with no regard for what may come after, such as recognition or fame, adoration, and heightened self-esteem. MC sees unhappiness ultimately as a maladaptive attentional object; that is, when one is focusing on one’s unhappiness instead of engaging in productive thought patterns or flow activities: “It is better to look suffering right in the eye, acknowledge and respect its presence, and then get busy as soon as possible focusing on things we choose to focus on…The important thing is the control one is acquiring over one’s attention” The idea is to direct one’s consciousness to things that will make us feel happier and more self-efficacious.
Obviously this is much easier said than done. Also, this is not proclaiming to be a solution to depression, which is more serious than the unhappiness through apathy or inaction that MC focuses on. But here are my thoughts: make sure you love doing what you’re doing, first of all. If you’re not getting into flow, losing yourself in the particular activity, it may not be your true passion. That being said, at the counseling center we tell all of our clients the “good and the bad” of being a creative person: among many other things, creative individuals tend to have manic-depressive and/or depressive symptoms. They will slave away on a song or a score or a painting or a piece of writing for hours in a fit of artistic madness, which will eventually wear them down completely. They will come down from this “artistic episode” afterward, sometimes after sleeping, and will look over what they’ve created. Often their first instinct is that their creation is shit, and they want to throw it away or burn it. DON’T. The good news is that in this state, stepped away from your creativity, you are your best editor. This is how you can make your highs and lows work for you, by simply shifting your purpose.
So, I would recommend trying to focus on the activity itself, rather than the results so much. Yes, all creative persons must critique their own work, but don’t let your seemingly unmeetable expectations get in the way of your work. Let everything that you have out; don’t hold back your ideas and your creative impulses. There is a time for creating and a time for critiquing; they should not be simultaneous. Remember that. Let yourself get into flow as much as you can; you may need to practice losing your moderating self-consciousness, but once you are able to get in that zone you’ll realize how happy experiencing that can make you. Just that. The experience. After the activity you may still think your stuff is rubbish, but I assure you it’s not. I feel like I haven’t completely answered your question, but I’ll look into it further when I get a chance.
