Autotèlic
"Origin
The word "autotelic" derives from the Greek αὐτοτελής (autotelēs), formed from αὐτός (autos, "self") and τέλος (telos, "end" or "goal").
The Oxford English Dictionary cites the word's earliest use in 1901 (Baldwin, Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology, I 96/1), and also cites a 1932 use by T. S. Eliot .[2]
Use
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes people who are internally driven, and who as such may exhibit a sense of purpose and curiosity, as autotelic.[3] This is different from being externally driven, in which case things such as comfort, money, power, or fame are the motivating force.
Csikszentmihalyi wrote that an autotelic person doesn’t need things
like wealth, fame, power, or entertainment because they experience flow
in all areas of life. They don’t depend on external rewards. They are
fully involved in living life. They are also more independent and less
vulnerable to manipulation.[4]
A. Bartlett Giamatti
characterizes sports, such as baseball, as autotelic activities: "that
is, their goal is the full exercise of themselves, for their own sake".[5]
Yvor Winters quotes from Eliot's aesthetic theory including autotelic, and criticizes:
Art, then, is about itself, but this information does not help me to
answer my questions, for I do not understand it. What, for example,
would Pope or Dante have understood if this statement had been made to
them regarding the poems which I have just mentioned? Or what can we
understand with regard to these poems? About all we can deduce from such
a passage is that the artist does not really know what he is doing; a
doctrine which we shall find suggested and elucidated elsewhere, and
which leads directly to the plainest kind of determinism.[6]" Wikipèdia
Flow
"Flow in positive psychology, also known colloquially as being in the zone, is the mental state
in which a person performing some activity is fully immersed in a
feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the
process of the activity. In essence, flow is characterized by the
complete absorption in what one does, and a resulting transformation in
one's sense of time.[1]
Flow is the melting together of action and consciousness; the state of
finding a balance between a skill and how challenging that task is. It
requires a high level of concentration. Flow is used as a coping skill
for stress and anxiety when productively pursuing a form of leisure that
matches one's skill set.[2]
Named by the psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1970, the concept has been widely referred to across a variety of fields (and is particularly well recognized in occupational therapy).[3][need quotation to verify]
The flow state shares many characteristics with hyperfocus.[4]
However, hyperfocus is not always described in a positive light. Some
examples include spending "too much" time playing video games or
becoming pleasurably absorbed by one aspect of an assignment or task to
the detriment of the overall assignment. In some cases, hyperfocus can
"capture" a person, perhaps causing them to appear unfocused or to start
several projects,
but complete few. Hyperfocus is often mentioned "in the context of
autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder –
conditions that have consequences on attentional abilities."[4]
Flow is an individual experience and the idea behind flow
originated from the sports-psychology theory about an Individual Zone of
Optimal Functioning. The individuality of the concept of flow suggests
that each person has their subjective area of flow, where they would
function best given the situation. One is most likely to experience flow
at moderate levels of psychological arousal, as one is unlikely to be
overwhelmed, but not understimulated to the point of boredom.[5]
Etymology
Flow
is so named because, during Csíkszentmihályi's 1975 interviews, several
people described their "flow" experiences using the metaphor of a water
current carrying them along: "'It was like floating,' 'I was carried on
by the flow.'"[6][failed verification][7]
History
Mihaly Csikszentmihályi
and others began researching flow after Csikszentmihályi became
fascinated by artists who would essentially get lost in their work.[8]
Artists, especially painters, got so immersed in their work that they
would disregard their need for food, water and even sleep. The theory of
flow came about when Csikszentmihályi tried to understand the
phenomenon experienced by these artists. Flow research became prevalent
in the 1980s and 1990s, with Csikszentmihályi and his colleagues in
Italy still at the forefront. Researchers grew interested in optimal
experiences and emphasizing positive experiences, especially in places
such as schools and the business world.[9] They also began studying the theory of flow at this time.[10]
The cognitive science of flow has been studied under the rubric of effortless attention.[11]" Wikipedia