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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Quotes

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Famous Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Quotes

“A self that is only differentiated - not integrated - may attain great individual accomplishments, but risks being mired in self-centered egotism. By the same token, a person who self is based exclusively on integration will be well connected and secure, but lack autonomous individuality. Only when a person invests equal amounts of psychic energy in these two processes and avoids both selfishness and conformity is the self likely to reflect complexity.”

WellsMayPersonsTwoSelfIndividualEnergyProcessRiskAmountEqualIndividualityConnectedSecureSelfishnessAccomplishmentComplexityConformityIntegrationPsychicsEgotismSelf CenteredIntegratedTokensAutonomous
Author:Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
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“What does this contradictory pattern mean?one conclusion seems inevitable: when it comes to work, people do not heed the evidence of their senses. They disregard the quality of immediate experience, and base their motivation instead on the strongly rooted cultural stereotype of what work is supposed to be like. They think of it as an imposition, a constraint, an infringement of their freedom, and therefore something to be avoided as much as possible.”

PeopleThinkingMeanDoeSeemsMotivationQualityEvidencePatternsSensesConclusionSupposed To BeInevitableRootedStereotypeAvoidedContradictoryConstraintsHeedDisregardImpositionInfringement
Book:Flow: the psychology of optimal experience
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“But to change all existence into a flow experience, it is not sufficient to learn merely how to control moment-by-moment states of consciousness. It is also necessary to have an overall context of goals for the events of everyday life to make senseTo create harmony in whatever one does is the last task that the flow theory presents to whose who wish to attain optimal experience; it is a task that involves transforming the entirety of life into a single flow activity, with unified goals that provide constant purpose.”

DoeStatesMomentsLastsPurposeWishGoalExistenceConsciousnessEventsTheoryActivityFlowTasksHarmonyConstantEverydayMake SenseSufficientEveryday LifeTransformingUnifiedStates Of ConsciousnessEntiretyOptimal
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“Each of us is born with two contradictory sets of instructions: a conservative tendency, made up of instincts for self-preservation, self-aggrandizement, and saving energy, and an expansive tendency made up of instincts for exploring, for enjoying novelty and risk-the curiosity that leads to creativity belongs to this set. But whereas the first tendency requires little encouragement or support from outside to motivate behaviour, the second can wilt if not cultivated.”

IfsFirstsLittlesMadeTwoSelfEnergyEnjoyBornCreativitySupportRiskEncouragementInstinctCuriosityConservativeTendenciesSavingInstructionBehaviourExploringPreservationContradictoryNoveltySelf PreservationSaving Energy
Book:Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and
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“A paycheck is a sufficient impetus to motivate some employees to do the minimum amount to get by, and for others, the challenge of getting ahead in the organization provides a satisfactory focus for a while. But these incentives alone are rarely strong enough to inspire workers to give their best to their work. For this a vision is needed, an overarching goal that gives meaning to the job, so that an individual can forget himself in the task and experience flow without doubts or regrets. The most important component of such a vision is an ingredient we call soul.”

GivingImportantSoulEnoughJobsIndividualStrongGoalChallengesWorkForgetVisionDoubtFocusInspireRegretAmountNeededFlowTasksOrganizationWorkersSufficientEmployeeIngredientsMinimumComponentsIncentivesStrong EnoughPaychecksImpetusForget Him
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“To be creative, a person has to internalize the entire system that makes creativity possible. Creative individuals are remarkable for their ability to adapt to almost any situation and to make do with whatever is at hand to reach their goals.”

PersonsArtHandsIndividualGoalAbilitySituationCreativityCreativeRemarkableBe CreativeAbility To Adapt
Book:Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention
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“We have all experienced times when, instead of being buffeted by anonymous forces, we do feel in control of our actions, masters of our own fate. On the rare occasions that it happens, we feel a sense of exhilaration, a deep sense of enjoyment that is long cherished and that becomes a landmark in memory for what life should be like.. moments like these are not the passive, receptive, relaxing timesthe best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”

FeelsShouldMindPersonsLongMomentsBodyHappensActionForceDifficultMemoriesEffortFateMastersLimitsAccomplishOccasionsEnjoymentWorthwhilePassiveOur ActionsReceptiveLandmarksExhilarationBest MomentsRare Occasion
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“I have devoted 30 years of research to how creative people live and work, to make more understandable the mysterious process by which they come up with new ideas and new things. [...] If I had to express in one word what makes their personalities different from others, it's complexity. They show tendencies of thought and action that in most people are segregated. They contain contradictory extremes; instead of being an "individual", each of them is a "multitude".”

PeopleIfsYearsIdeasDifferentShowsActionIndividualProcessCreativePersonalityResearchCome UpExtremesTendenciesMysteriousComplexityNew ThingsDevotedNew IdeasMultitudesContradictoryOne WordCreative PeopleThoughts And Actions
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“A Web site that promotes flow is like a gourmet meal. You start off with the appetizers, move on to the salads and entrees, and build toward dessert. Unfortunately, most sites are built like a cafeteria. You pick whatever you want. That sounds good at first, but soon it doesn't matter what you choose to do. Everything is bland and the same.”

WantFirstsMatterMovingSoundPicksBuiltFlowMealsYou ChooseSiteDessertSaladBlandGourmetAppetizersCafeteriaEntrees
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