Flow in the Context of Vocation

Abstract

Coined by Mihaly Csíkszentmihályi in the early 1970s, flow is a state of consciousness experienced when a person is immersed in a challenging activity for which he or she is intrinsically motivated and appropriately skilled (Csíkszentmihályi, 1975). Work, often synonymous with occupation, has been studied as a context in which flow occurs. Vocation has been developed in research in several psychological disciplines, such as career counseling and I/O psychology. Perspectives of vocation as a natural and/or supernatural calling to a particular work or task resemble but also transcend traditional conceptualizations of work. Flow is best understood as a part of vocation. As such, flow fulfills its greater purpose as an enriching element of vocation that contributes to the good of the person.