Psychology of Flow

 Flow is a Peak Experience

Flow is a positive psychology concept described by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi as a pleasant mental state experienced when performing intense but enjoyable activities requiring full deployment of a person's skills or abilities. 

Flow is a peak experience involving high levels of concentration during which a person loses an awareness of things around them as well as self-consciousness (Sutton, 2026, June 11).

Flow and Thriving

"Thriving emphasizes growth, learning, and vitality. Flow supports these by stretching skills through challenge promoting mastery, generating psychological energy, and reinforcing adaptive engagement. In this sense, flow is often a micro process that fuels the macro process of thriving. Flow is a building block of flourishing." (Sutton, 2026)

A concise way to frame the relationship (Sutton, 2026):

Thriving is the process of growing well. Flourishing is the overall state of living very well. Flow is the experience of performing well.

Thriving = growth. 

Flourishing = high wellbeing.

Flow = deep engagement.

Cite this post (Revised 11 June 2026)

Sutton, G.W. (2026, June 11). Flow. Psychology Concepts and Theories. Retrieved from https://suttonpsychology.blogspot.com/2021/01/psychology-of-flow.html

Related Posts

Flourishing

Flow

Thriving

Wellbeing and Psychological Health

Resources

See Flourishing in Six Dimensions: The SCOPES Framework - 

Available on AMAZON

See Csikszentmihalyi's book titled Flow for more details (Link to UK Book).

Several measures have been developed to assess flow. Lonczak summarised these at this link: https://positivepsychology.com/how-to-measure-flow-scales-questionnaires/

Csikszentmihalyi has a TED talk on Flow. It is not exciting but he does present the concept and provides stories to illustrate people in a state of flow.

In his talk, Csikszentmihalyi illustrates flow with a diagram. The picture at the top of this post is a rendition of that illustration.

Note 1: Csikszentmihalyi died 20 October 2021 at age 87 in California. Obituary link.

Note 2: This page is for education and not personal advice. Consult health care providers for the most recent information and personal concerns.

Post Author

Geoffrey W. Sutton, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Evangel University, holds a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. His postdoctoral work encompassed education and supervision in forensic and neuropsychology and psychopharmacology. As a licensed psychologist, he conducted clinical and neuropsychological evaluations and provided psychotherapy for patients in various settings, including schools, hospitals, and private offices. During his tenure as a professor, Dr. Sutton taught courses on psychotherapy, assessment, and research. He has authored over one hundred publications, including books, book chapters, and articles in peer-reviewed psychology journals. 

His website is https://suttong.com 

You can find Dr. Sutton's books on   AMAZON    and  GOOGLE. 

Many publications are free to download at ResearchGate   and Academia  

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Page updated 11 June 2026