Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

relationship and their shared experiences and values to be of great importance. It does not matter where they are in the world, these values will stay with them throughout their lives. Similarly, “If We Are So Rich, Why Aren’t We Happy?” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, suggests that additional surrounding are important to high spirits such as having moments to give back, and pursuing various activities (145). She introduces the flow…

There is no doubt that Americans love to watch television and spend hours of time on their phones. In the article “Television”, Jeff Ousborne states “Over the last sixty years, no pop culture medium has done more to shape American life than television” (243). Instead of comprising a daily schedule before, now it is a schedule of a favorite show. Not having at least one television set in homes these days is unheard of. If we are greatly interested in a t.v. series, we will spend a great deal of…

Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, professor of psychology and author, asked a simple question of “what is the self?” Csikszentmihaly breaks down what some would call “self” and in his writing he states, “The self is a reification….the self is more in the nature of a figment of the imagination, something we create to account for the multiplicity of impressions, emotions, thoughts, and feelings that the brain records in consciousness” (Csikszentmihaly.265). Reification means, “The process of regarding an…

Happiness, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. If you ask anyone, what is their ultimate goal in life; the majority may say it is to find happiness. This may appear to be simple enough, yet it seems to be quite complex and elusive to most. This pursuit is seldom, if ever, achieved in one’s lifetime. While it is difficult to answer the question as to whether it is selfish to pursue happiness for oneself, it would be practical to say that it is not. Happiness varies from person to…

had full-time jobs as well as part-time jobs. They were constantly working, striving to provide the best for our little family. I’ve always wondered the secret to my parents’ happiness in their workplace despite the long, irregular hours. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian psychologist, discovered the psychological concept of ‘flow’ that might explain the workaholic phenomenon. Flow is a mental state of effortless concentration and enjoyment in an activity. For example, a complete absorption…

of minimizing negative emotions, and enhancing those that are positive such as joy, happiness, satisfaction, and excitement. Referring to engagement, he stresses the significance of seeking out activities that further one’s interests, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi further expanded this notion by arguing that to achieve flow, one must identify their strengths and practice them. Park, Peterson and Seligman (2006) identified common strengths of kindness, fairness, honesty, gratitude, and judgement.…

There are many arguments whether money can buy happiness or not. However, along our lives, we will find that money and happiness have a relationship in certain aspects in our lives such as education, work, and success. As stated by Gretchen Rubin, I believe that money can bring happiness only if spent wisely on important factors in our lives such as family or health. I also believe that our happiness is in direct correlation between our attainments and our aspirations as stated by Diener and…

activities done in a certain way that brings about happiness. An activity is meaningful if it brings about happiness for the person doing that activity and is “worth doing for its own sake even though it may have no consequence outside itself” (Csikszentmihalyi 149). What is defined as a meaningful activity varies from person to person but may include activities such as building relationships and bonding with family. Affluent people who engage in the wrong activities would be less happy than…

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, talks about collective power in, The Evolving Self, as something that can be taken from one person or group thus gained by another person or group. He also brings in the topic of personal power, which is given from something or someone to another person. Power doesn’t just appear, it has to be given or taken. This explains what the “expression of power” he states is about. If we take the American Government for example, power is given to them by their supporters. Also it…

After a long day’s work, Jim comes home from his labor-intensive job as a car mechanic tired, stressed, and frustrated. His customers today were particularly wearisome because he had trouble keeping up with an overload of car repair request that seemed to flood the shop within the last couple of days. What made matters worse was the fact that two of his assistants called in sick because of the flu, forcing him to take on a triple workload. Pushing thoughts of such a horrible day out his mind,…