FLOW: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE, Goal Setting in Sport

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Sport Psychology (PSY407)

LESSON 08

FLOW: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced cheeks-me-high) is credited with being the originator of the

FLOW concept. FLOW is not an acronym, but a way of expressing a sense of seemingly effortless and

intrinsically joyful movement.

You experience FLOW when you are engaged in an interesting activity for its own sake and for no

other external purpose or goal. In his original conceptualization of the FLOW construct,

Csikszentmihalyi (1990) described FLOW as an end in itself, something that is to be enjoyed and

appreciated. The key term in the FLOW construct is that of the auto telic experience. An auto telic

experience "refers to a self-contained activity, one that is done not with the expectation of some future

benefit, but simply because the doing itself is the reward".

The nine defining characteristics of the FLOW experience are:

Requirement of a challenge/skill balance.

Merging of action and awareness (sense of automaticity and spontaneity)

Goals that are clearly defined

Clear , unambiguous feedback

Total concentration on the skill being performed

Sense of being in control without trying to be in control( paradox of control)

Loss self-awareness ( becoming one with the activity)

Loss of time awareness

Auto telic experience (end result of all of the above)

The nine defining characteristics of the FLOW experience form the basis of an instrument developed

by Jackson and Marsh (1996) for measuring FLOW. The FLOW State Scale (FSS) is composed of

thirty-six items that measure the nine dimensions identified by Csikszentmihalyi. In studying the FLOW

experience, Jackson identified factors believed to facilitate FLOW, as well as the other factors believed

to prevent the occurrence of the Flow state.

Factors believed to facilitate or to prevent the occurrence of the Flow state (Jackson, 1992, 1995)

Facilitate

· Development of a positive mental attitude

· Positive precompetitive affect

· Positive competitive affect (during contest)

· Maintaining appropriate attentional focus.

· Physical readiness (perception of being prepared)

· Unity with teammate(s) and /or coach

Prevent

· Experiencing physical problems and mistakes.

· Inability to maintain appropriate attentional focus.

· Negative mental attitude

· Lack of audience response

Sport Psychology (PSY407)

Goal Setting in Sport

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a world champion in any sport. An accomplishment of this

magnitude is only realized through the judicious setting of daily weekly and long-term personal goals. Goal

setting is a theory of motivation that effectively energizes athletes to become more productive and effective.

Goal setting by athletes represents either internal or external motivation, depending on whether or not the goals

are internalized and personalized.

Basic Types of Goals And Their Effectiveness

There are three basic types of goals that have been identified in the sport psychology literature. These three

different types of goals are outcome goals, performance goals, and process goals.

Outcome goals

Outcome goals focus on the outcomes of sporting events and usually involve some sort of interpersonal

comparison. A typical outcome goal might be to win a basketball game, place first in a volleyball tournament,

defeat an opponent in tennis, or finish the season with a winning record. It is very typical of coaches to speak in

terms of the number of wins they hope to have in a particular season.

Performance goals

Performance goals specify an end product of performance that will be achieved by the athlete relatively

independently of other performers and the team. A typical performance goal for an individual athlete might be

to strike out seven batters; score twenty-five points in a basketball game serve five aces in a tennis match, or get

fifteen kills in a volleyball game. Intuitively, athletes and coaches should prefer performance goals to outcome

goals for two fundamental reasons. First, if performance goals are accomplished, there is a good possibility that

outcome goals will also be accomplished. Second, personal satisfaction can be realized from the achievement of

performance goals even if outcome goals remain unfulfilled.

Processes goals

Process goals focus on specific behaviors exhibited throughout a performance. The important thing for the

athlete and coach is that they understand clearly the distinctions between the three and use them all effectively.

Reasons Goal Settings Results in Improved Performance

There are four basic ways in which goal setting can influence performance.

1. Directed attention

Goal setting causes the athlete to focus her attention upon the task and upon achieving the goal relative to the

task. When she has no specific goal, the athlete's attention wanders from one thought to another without any

particular direction. Setting a specific goal causes the athlete to focus her attention on that goal and upon the

task that is associated with that goal.

Focusing the athlete's attention on a specific takedown move and practicing it until it was mastered would make

it possible for the athlete to achieve his goal.

Sport Psychology (PSY407)

2. Effort mobilization

Once an athlete's attention is directed towards a particular goal, it is necessary for the athlete to put

forth the effort necessary to achieving that goal. The very act of increasing or mobilizing effort will

have a positive effect upon improved performance.

For example, consider the bowler who wishes to consistently bowl a score of around 250. To bowl

consistently in this score range, the athlete must be able to follow a strike with another strike, or at

least a spare. Goal setting will therefore have an effect of increasing the athlete's effort during practice

so that he can accomplish his goals.

3. Persistence

A third way that goal setting influences performance is through persistence. To be successful, an

athlete must persist for a long period of time. Persistence is a by-product of effective goal setting. As

long as the goal is present and the athlete wants to obtain the goal, he will persist in the effort needed

to accomplish it.

Take the example of Tiger woods; thirty days after winning the U.S Open by fifteen strokes, Tiger

woods won the British Open by eight strokes. In doing so he accomplished a career Grand Slam at

age twenty-four. Woods now masters in both U.S open as well as the British Open.

4. Developments of new learning strategies

Goal setting promotes the development of new learning strategies. Without goals for improvement, an

athlete is content to get along with the learning strategies and skills that she currently possesses.

Setting of new goals not only directs attention, mobilizes effort, and nurtures persistence, but it forces

the athlete to learn new and better ways of accomplishing a skill or task.

For example if the athlete is successful in setting and meeting process goals, improved performance

and outcome should be the result. It is interesting to note while watching major league baseball that

the catcher will frequently remind the pitcher of a particular process goal relative to pitching

technique. For example if the pitcher starts to drop his delivery release point* sidearm delivery) the

catcher often mimics the correct overhand throwing action to remind the pitcher of correct technique.

Which Types Of Goals Are Best?

A number of investigations have been conducted contrasting the three different types of goals.

Outcome goals, performance goals, process goals, are all good but research supports the position that

a multiple goal strategy is the best.

Used in isolation, outcome goals are probably the least effective, but when used in conjunction with

performance and process goals, they are helpful. It would seem that a goal-getting strategy that uses all

three types of goals is best for the athlete in terms of psychological development, achievement and

motivation.

References

Cox, H. Richard. (2002). Sport Psychology: Concepts and Applications. (Fifth Edition). New York:

McGraw-Hill Companies

Sport Psychology (PSY407)

Lavallec. D., Kremer, J., Moran, A., & Williams. M. (2004) Sports Psychology: Contemporary Themes. New

York: Palgrave Macmillan Publishers

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