Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

On the Measurement and Conceptualization of Flow

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Advances in Flow Research

Abstract

This chapter introduces in chronological order the three main measurement methods–the flow questionnaire, the experience sampling method, and the standardized scales of the componential approach–that researchers developed and used in conducting research on the flow state. Each measurement method and underlying conceptualization is explained, and its strengths and limitations are then discussed in relation to the other measurement methods and associated conceptualizations. The analysis reveals that, although the concept of flow remained stable since its inception, the models of flow that researchers developed in conjunction with the measurement methods changed substantially over time. Moreover, the findings obtained by applying the various measurement methods led to corroborations and disconfirmations of the underlying models and hence provided indications on how to interpret and possibly modify flow theory. The final section outlines new directions for developing more valid and useful measurement methods that can help to advance the understanding of flow, its antecedents, and its consequences.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    The separation of quotes was suggested by Antonella Delle Fave in 1997 (personal communication).

References

  • Asakawa, K. (2004). Flow experience and autotelic personality in Japanese college students: How do they experience challenges in daily life? Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 123–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, J. W. (1957). Motivational determinants of risk-taking behavior. Psychological Review, 64, 359–372.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Beer, N., & Moneta, G. B. (2010). Construct and concurrent validity of the positive metacognitions and positive meta-emotions questionnaire. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 977–982.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryk, A., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1992). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carli, M., Delle Fave, A., & Massimini, F. (1988). The quality of experience in the flow channels: Comparison of Italian and U.S. students. In M. Csikszentmihalyi & I. S. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.), Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness (pp. 266–306). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceja, L., & Navarro, J. (2011). Dynamic patterns of flow in the workplace: Characterizing within-individual variability using a complexity science approach. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 32, 627–651.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conti, R. (2001). Time flies: Investigating the connection between intrinsic motivation and the experience of time. Journal of Personality, 69, 1–26.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1975). Beyond boredom and anxiety: Experiencing flow in work and play. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1978). Attention and the holistic approach to behavior. In K. S. Pope & J. L. Singer (Eds.), The stream of consciousness (pp. 335–356). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding flow. The psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., Abuhamdeh, S., & Nakamura, J. (2005). Flow. In A. J. Elliot & C. S. Dweck (Eds.), Handbook of competence and motivation (pp. 598–608). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, I., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988a). Introduction to part III. In M. Csikszentmihalyi & I. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.), Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness (pp. 183–192). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Csikszentmihalyi, I. (1988b). Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Larson, R. W. (1984). Being adolescent. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Larson, R. (1987). Validity and reliability of the Experience Sampling Method. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 175, 529–536.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., Larson, R., & Prescott, S. (1977). The ecology of adolescent activity and experience. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 6, 281–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Csikszentmihalyi, M., & LeFevre, J. (1989). Optimal experience in work and leisure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 56, 815–822.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., & Bassi, M. (2000). The quality of experience in adolescents’ daily life: Developmental perspectives. Genetic, Social, and General Psychology Monographs, 126, 347–367.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., & Massimini, F. (2004). The cross-cultural investigation of optimal experience. Ricerche di Psicologia, 1, 79–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delle Fave, A., & Massimini, F. (2005). The investigation of optimal experience and apathy: Developmental and psychosocial implications. European Psychologist, 10, 264–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, G. D., Voelkl, J. E., & Morris, C. (1994). Measurements and analysis issues with explanation of variance in daily experience using the Flow model. Journal of Leisure Research, 26, 337–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Engeser, S., & Rheinberg, F. (2008). Flow, moderators of challenge-skill-balance and performance. Motivation and Emotion, 32, 158–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finch, J. F., & West, S. G. (1997). The investigation of personality structure: Statistical models. Journal of Research in Personality, 31, 439–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34, 906–911.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldstein, H. (1995). Multilevel statistical models. New York: Halsted.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haworth, J., & Evans, S. (1995). Challenge, skill and positive subjective states in the daily life of a sample of YTS students. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 68, 109–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hektner, J., Schmidt, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2007). Experience sampling method. Measuring the quality of everyday life. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, S. A., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). Flow in sports: The keys to optimal experiences and performances. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, S. A., & Eklund, R. C. (2002). Assessing flow in physical activity: The flow state scale-2 and dispositional flow scale-2. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 24, 133–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, S. A., & Eklund, R. C. (2004a). Relationships between quality of experience and participation in diverse performance settings. Australian Journal of Psychology, 56(Suppl), 193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, S. A., & Marsh, H. W. (1996). Development and validation of a scale to measure optimal experience: The flow state scale. Journal of Sport & Experience Psychology, 18, 17–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., Krueger, A. B., Schkade, D. A., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. (2004). A survey method for characterizing daily life experience: The day reconstruction method. Science, 306, 1776–1780.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kawabata, M., Mallett, C. J., & Jackson, S. A. (2008). The flow state scale-2 and dispositional flow scale-2: Examination of factorial validity and reliability for Japanese adults. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9, 465–485.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keller, J., & Bless, H. (2008). Flow and regulatory compatibility: An experimental approach to the flow model of intrinsic motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 196–209.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R., & Delespaul, P. A. E. G. (1992). Analysing experience sampling data: A guidebook for the perplexed. In M. de Vries (Ed.), The experience of psychopathology: Investigating mental disorders in their natural settings (pp. 58–78). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Maslow, A. (1964). Religions, values and peak-experiences. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Massimini, F., & Carli, M. (1988). The systematic assessment of flow in daily experience. In M. Csikszentmihalyi & I. S. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.), Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness (pp. 266–287). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Massimini, F., Csikszentmihalyi, M., & Carli, M. (1987). The monitoring of optimal experience: A tool for psychiatric rehabilitation. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 175, 545–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mathews, A., Yiend, J., & Lawrence, A. D. (2004). Individual differences in the modulation of fear-related brain activation by attentional control. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 16, 1683–1694.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B. (1990). A modeling approach to the study of subjective experience: Everyday life variations as a function of perceived challenges and skills in the activity. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B. (2004a). The flow experience across cultures. Journal of Happiness Studies, 5, 115–121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B. (2004b). The flow model of state intrinsic motivation in Chinese: Cultural and personal moderators. Journal of Happiness Studies, 2, 181–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B. (2010). Flow in work as a function of trait intrinsic motivation, opportunity for creativity in the job, and work engagement. In S. Albrecht (Ed.), The Handbook of employee engagement: Perspectives, issues, research and practice (pp. 262–269). Cheltenham: Edward-Elgar Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). The effect of perceived challenges and skills on the quality of subjective experience. Journal of Personality, 64, 275–310.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moneta, G. B., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1999). Models of concentration in natural environments: A comparative approach based on streams of experiential data. Social Behavior and Personality, 27, 603–637.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfister, R. (2002). Flow im Alltag: Untersuchungen zum Quadrantenmodell des Flow-Erlebens und zum Konzept der autotelischen Perso ¨nlichkeit mit der Experience Sampling Method (ESM) [Flow in everyday life: Studies on the quadrant model of flow experiencing and on the concept of the autotelic personality with the experience sampling method (ESM)]. Bern: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Privette, G. (1983a). Peak experience, peak performance, and flow: A comparative analysis of positive human experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 6, 1361–1368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Privette, G. (1983b). Peak experience, peak performance, and flow: A comparative analysis of positive human experiences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 1361–1368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rheinberg, F., Manig, Y., Kliegl, R., Engeser, S., & Vollmeyer, R. (2007). Flow bei der Arbeit, doch GlĂĽck in der Freizeit. Zielausrichtung, Flow und GlĂĽcksgefĂĽhle [Flow during work but happiness during leisure time: Goals, flow-experience, and happiness]. Zeitschrift fĂĽr Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie, 51, 105–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • SchĂĽler, J. (2010). Achievement incentives determine the effects of achievement-motive incongruence on flow experience. Motivation and Emotion, 34, 2–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychology, London Metropolitan University, London, UK

    Giovanni B. Moneta

Authors
  1. Giovanni B. Moneta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Giovanni B. Moneta .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Fachbereich I - Psychologie, Universität Trier, Trier, 54286, Germany

    Stefan Engeser

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2012 Springer New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Moneta, G.B. (2012). On the Measurement and Conceptualization of Flow. In: Engeser, S. (eds) Advances in Flow Research. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2359-1_2

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation