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Flow: The Psychology Of Optimal Experience

Decent Essays

Reflecting on my goals and accomplishments in life, I developed an idea of what I a parent’s obligation should be. Similar to how my parents raised me, I agree that a parent’s obligation is to see that their child’s best potential is realized. Although I agree with that belief, I do not agree that a child needs to become the “super-best” person they can be in order to realize their own personhood. A child’s idea of “super-best” cannot be fulfilled by anyone but him or herself, therefore is not the parent’s obligation. Parents should act as resources to their children to guide them in the right direction in life. My parents let me drive the steering wheel in my own life, allowing me to make my own decisions and mistakes. Allowing children the …show more content…

As discussed in a previous question, Csikszentmihalyi promotes how “flow activities lead to growth and discovery” (74). With every flow experience, an individual will need a certain level of difficulty to challenge a specific set of skills. It is when these two components become correlated that we enter flow. However, when challenges and skills are not correlated, an individual may experience boredom or anxiety, which leads to negative experiences. Regardless of the type of flow experience, the dynamic feature of flow is what allows growth and discovery. Our notion of self disappears when immersed in flow, allowing us to push the boundaries of transcendence. When emerging from flow, self is re-introduced and emerged as more complex and enriched with new skills. This self-reflection is only effective when done alone. Csikszentmihalyi believes it is detrimental when outside forces intrude on personal reflection because it interrupts consciousness from assessing the activity. An intrusive parent could act as this outside force. Parents should direct their children to entering flow, but not force them to enter the flow channel if the child is not …show more content…

I believe forcing a child to play an instrument or sport just so they can become exceptional can be burdensome. Unfortunately, I have observed this type of child grow into an adult who feels isolated from the world because of the regret of missing out on life’s experiences. This is exemplified in Camus’ book, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays, when he discusses how the absurd teaches us about valuing lives and their experiences. I believe Camus captures the value of life by this quote: “For the mistake is thinking that the quantity of experiences depends on the circumstances of our life when it depends solely on us. Here we have to be over-simple. To two men living the same number of years, the world always provides the same sum of experiences. It is up to us to be conscious of them” (Camus, 62). Camus demonstrates in this quote how the awareness in one’s life, whatever form it takes, is the essence of living life the its greatest potential. Unlike other classical philosophers, Camus argues that a long, ordinary life is superior to a short, brilliant one. Just as the quote above explains, it is not about the quality of experiences one has in life, but the quantity of the experiences that creates a beautiful, joyous life. Camus finds beauty in the ordinary because he believes a finite amount of time can offer an infinite

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