Autotelic Arithmetic: An Enthusiastic Mathematician’s Take on Flow and Meaning
Flow and meaning are highly significant concepts in understanding autotelism and the feeling of significance in relation to human nature. These ideas are isolated components of the holistic field of human flourishing; an area of psychology dedicated to comprehending well-being, happiness and the way we thrive. An aspect of my life that I feel I can best attribute these concepts to is my appreciation of mathematics. Though flow is often associated with creative activities, my personal process of solving complex numerical problems aptly adheres to the criteria of flow and meaning. My sense of flow during the activity brings about a feeling of purpose and meaning. …show more content…
The human search for meaning is well documented and easily detected in today’s society. Institutions, rituals and beliefs have been constructed throughout history in order to provide the human race with a sense of meaning and predictability of life (Steger, 2009). Having meaning is predominantly related to a personal feeling of comprehensibility and significance of life, and how one perceives themselves to have an purpose or all-encompassing life goal (Steger, 2009). Meaning is considered to be an important psychological concept due to its connotation with happiness; those who feel they have high presence of life meaning tend to feel more satisfied and less distressed than those without (Steger, 2009).
Sources of meaning are varied and easily discernable (religion, work, relationship), however for the purpose of this essay I will limit exploration of meaning to the way in which it links to flow. Meaning can be both a cause, and consequence of flow. Often when an individual partakes in an activity that is personally meaningful, they feel flow. It follows that being in a state of flow generates a more positive response, with individuals reporting a feeling of purpose and meaning (Csikszentmihalyi, …show more content…
This is the concept that an experience is so highly engrossing that it becomes worth doing for its own sake despite possibly having no additional benefit (Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). I feel the continual desire to immerse myself in the pattern and rhythm of numerical problem solving, and I often seek to clarify everyday issues by way of number expressions. My will to repeat this activity arguably stems from my intrinsic need for affirmation of my own competence as well as the extrinsic consequence of solving a tangible problem. The affirmation of competence originates from the immediate internal feedback received when completing an expression; I often have an intuitive feeling for the accuracy of an answer. This immediate feedback is a crucial indication of how well an induvidual is progressing in the activity and is a good measure for how they need to alter their present course of action (Csikszentmihalyi, 2009). Positive feedback improves one’s sense of competence; a feeling of efficacy of one’s ongoing interactions with the environment (Csikszentmihalyi, 2009). This feeling of effectiveness is integral to human flourishing and is strongly connected to ones feeling of purpose and meaning in
Flow and meaning are highly significant concepts in understanding autotelism and the feeling of significance in relation to human nature. These ideas are isolated components of the holistic field of human flourishing; an area of psychology dedicated to comprehending well-being, happiness and the way we thrive. An aspect of my life that I feel I can best attribute these concepts to is my appreciation of mathematics. Though flow is often associated with creative activities, my personal process of solving complex numerical problems aptly adheres to the criteria of flow and meaning. My sense of flow during the activity brings about a feeling of purpose and meaning. …show more content…
The human search for meaning is well documented and easily detected in today’s society. Institutions, rituals and beliefs have been constructed throughout history in order to provide the human race with a sense of meaning and predictability of life (Steger, 2009). Having meaning is predominantly related to a personal feeling of comprehensibility and significance of life, and how one perceives themselves to have an purpose or all-encompassing life goal (Steger, 2009). Meaning is considered to be an important psychological concept due to its connotation with happiness; those who feel they have high presence of life meaning tend to feel more satisfied and less distressed than those without (Steger, 2009).
Sources of meaning are varied and easily discernable (religion, work, relationship), however for the purpose of this essay I will limit exploration of meaning to the way in which it links to flow. Meaning can be both a cause, and consequence of flow. Often when an individual partakes in an activity that is personally meaningful, they feel flow. It follows that being in a state of flow generates a more positive response, with individuals reporting a feeling of purpose and meaning (Csikszentmihalyi, …show more content…
This is the concept that an experience is so highly engrossing that it becomes worth doing for its own sake despite possibly having no additional benefit (Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). I feel the continual desire to immerse myself in the pattern and rhythm of numerical problem solving, and I often seek to clarify everyday issues by way of number expressions. My will to repeat this activity arguably stems from my intrinsic need for affirmation of my own competence as well as the extrinsic consequence of solving a tangible problem. The affirmation of competence originates from the immediate internal feedback received when completing an expression; I often have an intuitive feeling for the accuracy of an answer. This immediate feedback is a crucial indication of how well an induvidual is progressing in the activity and is a good measure for how they need to alter their present course of action (Csikszentmihalyi, 2009). Positive feedback improves one’s sense of competence; a feeling of efficacy of one’s ongoing interactions with the environment (Csikszentmihalyi, 2009). This feeling of effectiveness is integral to human flourishing and is strongly connected to ones feeling of purpose and meaning in