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The Evolving Self: Psychology for the Third Millennium, A
The author of the bestselling Flow (more than 125,000 copies sold) offers an intelligent, inspiring guide to life in the future.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
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3663 people want to read
About the author
Mihály Csíkszentmihályi
84 books2,515 followersA Hungarian psychology professor, who emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. Now at Claremont Graduate University, he is the former head of the department of psychology at the University of Chicago and of the department of sociology and anthropology at Lake Forest College.
He is noted for both his work in the study of happiness and creativity and also for his notoriously difficult name, in terms of pronunciation for non-native speakers of the Hungarian language, but is best known as the architect of the notion of flow and for his years of research and writing on the topic. He is the author of many books and over 120 articles or book chapters. Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association, described Csikszentmihalyi as the world's leading researcher on positive psychology.
Csikszentmihalyi once said "Repression is not the way to virtue. When people restrain themselves out of fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. Only through freely chosen discipline can life be enjoyed and still kept within the bounds of reason." His works are influential and are widely cited.
He is noted for both his work in the study of happiness and creativity and also for his notoriously difficult name, in terms of pronunciation for non-native speakers of the Hungarian language, but is best known as the architect of the notion of flow and for his years of research and writing on the topic. He is the author of many books and over 120 articles or book chapters. Martin Seligman, former president of the American Psychological Association, described Csikszentmihalyi as the world's leading researcher on positive psychology.
Csikszentmihalyi once said "Repression is not the way to virtue. When people restrain themselves out of fear, their lives are by necessity diminished. Only through freely chosen discipline can life be enjoyed and still kept within the bounds of reason." His works are influential and are widely cited.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 111 reviews
July 1, 2009
In this bizarrely unfocused follow-up to his very popular book Flow The Psychology of Optimal Experience, author, M.C., wields his sociologically naive, largely false assertions with reckless abandon despite his lack of expertise and even rudimentary knowledge of the disciplines relevant to his subject matter, human culture. Rather than respond at length to the book's most problematic (and I would consider unpublishable) statements at the risk of appearing hyperbolic, I have grouped the quotations themselves by the dominant fallacy I saw. Excluding these, the author made some insightful observations that might be useful from an individual perspective, but I'm certain these can be found in more detail in his previous book linked above.
Fetishism of Progress:
Pages 18-9: The conquerors of history basically "were driven by the same impulses that send birds migrating or lemmings scurrying toward the sea," and "our brain is programmed by genes to 'take care of Number One'."
Page 24: We must avoid "excessive humility" and keep changing to avoid being "overcome by more vital life-forms." This seems to imply that we might have gone extinct, for no apparent reason, if agriculture and states had not arisen a few thousand years ago.
Page 33: This is just wrong: "Most people who work experience a more enjoyable state of mind on the job than at home."
He implies that, if we accept hardships caused by our jobs like a two-hour commute, then we must love our work. But, in fact, most of us accept the hardship of our jobs only because we are coerced with the threat of being denied food and a place to sleep.
Page 97: "One of the few unequivocal achievements of cultural evolution has been to make blatant forms of sexual and child exploitation less likely." This ignores the vast majority of human cultures, especially hunter-gatherers.
Page 131: "When cavemen learned to scratch lines on stones and bones to mark the passing of the seasons, they took the first step toward the great emancipation of the mind from the constraints of the brain."
Page 157: M.C says more "complexity" is the only way "to secure us a livable future." But, while there is nothing inherently wrong with complexity, he can't accept the fact that there's nothing inherently good about it either. "Harmony" can exist in simple or complex systems.
Page 191-2: M.C. says children who aren't "too severely abused" are always in flow, until school starts to control their growth, and eventually they experience it only in leisure activities. But isn't school then a kind of abuse? In fact it is just the beginning of a lifetime of abuse by a coercive society that makes flow experiences few and far between. The logical implication for me is that flow is most probable outside of coercive institutions be they schools or workplaces or countries.
Page 198: Examples that "come close to" an "ideal society", according to M.C.: "In Bali or some isolated villages in Europe...a variety of traditional crafts are still practiced at a high level of skill by every member of the community." This sounds like an example of harmony with little complexity. This scenario is the norm in hunter-gatherer societies. Instead of spending energy trying to find "opportunities for flow" in the current system, why not consider how to make a society that provides more opportunities for flow?! Or, more accurately, doesn't constrict them?
Page 202: M.C. is perplexed that "in our culture the aversion to work is so ingrained that even though it provides the bulk of the most complex and gratifying experiences, people still prefer having more free time." This likely indicates that, since we spend most of our waking hours doing it, we simply become better at working than any other activity. But the aversion to work is not "ingrained" by culture; it's an authentic response to coercion! If anything is ingrained it is a guilt-motivated "work ethic."
Page 204: Contrary to the author's contention, we don't have to "learn to enjoy complexity" and to achieve flow. We already have a natural capacity for flow, but it gets frustrated by the coercive demands of civilization. This is Freud's best insight.
Overt sexism:
Page 46: "During most of evolutionary history, gender specialization was simple: men had to produce, women reproduce." Where did this claim come from?! In fact, both men and women typically produced in hunter-gatherer societies. Reproduction is in no way "women's function."
He seems completely oblivious to how breathtakingly offensive and unsupportable this assertion is. He continues, saying, Louis XVI's mother had 11 miscarriages and 8 live births in 14 years, and "this was by no means an unusual situation during the millions of years of human evolution." In fact this kind of fertility is only present in sedentary societies. Nomadic hunter-gatherer families do not lug 10 kids along on their seasonal rounds.
Racism/ethnocentrism:
Page 69-70: He counters the claim that "the farther south you go, the higher the level of civilization" by citing tribes in equatorial Africa, who he unquestionably sees as the lowest level of society he can imagine.
Page 72: WOW offensive: "the world of the Gusii [of West Africa:] does not look that much different from the world structured by genes...[Their goals:] are an extension of similar goals shared by nonhuman primates and by other lower species."
Page 76: Alluding to Julian Jaynes's, M.C. writes, "It has even been proposed that it was only three thousand years ago that people began to realize that they were thinking."
Page 77: "Selfishness is an eternal part of living, and ruthless bullies must have been abundant" in the past. In a hypothetical example, "Zorg, the imaginary leader of a group of hominids" prior to the evolution of consciousness, "when prompted by hunger or sexual desires,...takes advantage of his dominant position to take more than his share." "If he snarls, the others cringe." However, there is no evidence for anything like this kind of leadership role among nomadic hunter-gatherers!
Page 86: "Chapter 4: Predators and Parasites" "Oppression and parasitic exploitation are constant features of evolution." The equation of parasitism with exploitation and predation with oppression are unfounded. The resemblance between recent social phenomena and biological phenomena does not imply a causal relationship.
Page 144: "The idea of 'country' is a necessary and beneficial component of culture."
Reactionary politics:
Page 104: "The meme for freedom has become concentrated in the American culture, and this, more than any other single trait, determines its uniqueness."
Page 108: "Much of history has consisted of periods in which some people worked hard to save property, while others squandered their opportunities in careless living. As time passed, the ones who had squandered became incensed at the injustice of owning so little. Often a revolution followed..."
Pages 264-5: "Many hard-working people, who are sometimes called workaholics, would disdainfully deny that they enjoy their jobs, an admission that would rob these jobs of their importance."
Why are jobs "important" independent of the worker's opinion to the contrary? M.C. seems determined to lie on behalf of workers who probably were telling the truth. The reason is his apparent affinity for the protestant work ethic. He believes that "Weber may have sold capitalism short;" that it's "the best game in town." He fails to see the obvious contradiction between flow and coercion.
Page 273: "Millions of immigrants from feudal societies, without any experience of democracy, have been lifted to a higher level of political awareness after being exposed to the laws of the United States."
And there you have it: we progress from Zorg to Africa to capitalism and the good ol' U.S. of A. Brilliant.
Fetishism of Progress:
Pages 18-9: The conquerors of history basically "were driven by the same impulses that send birds migrating or lemmings scurrying toward the sea," and "our brain is programmed by genes to 'take care of Number One'."
Page 24: We must avoid "excessive humility" and keep changing to avoid being "overcome by more vital life-forms." This seems to imply that we might have gone extinct, for no apparent reason, if agriculture and states had not arisen a few thousand years ago.
Page 33: This is just wrong: "Most people who work experience a more enjoyable state of mind on the job than at home."
He implies that, if we accept hardships caused by our jobs like a two-hour commute, then we must love our work. But, in fact, most of us accept the hardship of our jobs only because we are coerced with the threat of being denied food and a place to sleep.
Page 97: "One of the few unequivocal achievements of cultural evolution has been to make blatant forms of sexual and child exploitation less likely." This ignores the vast majority of human cultures, especially hunter-gatherers.
Page 131: "When cavemen learned to scratch lines on stones and bones to mark the passing of the seasons, they took the first step toward the great emancipation of the mind from the constraints of the brain."
Page 157: M.C says more "complexity" is the only way "to secure us a livable future." But, while there is nothing inherently wrong with complexity, he can't accept the fact that there's nothing inherently good about it either. "Harmony" can exist in simple or complex systems.
Page 191-2: M.C. says children who aren't "too severely abused" are always in flow, until school starts to control their growth, and eventually they experience it only in leisure activities. But isn't school then a kind of abuse? In fact it is just the beginning of a lifetime of abuse by a coercive society that makes flow experiences few and far between. The logical implication for me is that flow is most probable outside of coercive institutions be they schools or workplaces or countries.
Page 198: Examples that "come close to" an "ideal society", according to M.C.: "In Bali or some isolated villages in Europe...a variety of traditional crafts are still practiced at a high level of skill by every member of the community." This sounds like an example of harmony with little complexity. This scenario is the norm in hunter-gatherer societies. Instead of spending energy trying to find "opportunities for flow" in the current system, why not consider how to make a society that provides more opportunities for flow?! Or, more accurately, doesn't constrict them?
Page 202: M.C. is perplexed that "in our culture the aversion to work is so ingrained that even though it provides the bulk of the most complex and gratifying experiences, people still prefer having more free time." This likely indicates that, since we spend most of our waking hours doing it, we simply become better at working than any other activity. But the aversion to work is not "ingrained" by culture; it's an authentic response to coercion! If anything is ingrained it is a guilt-motivated "work ethic."
Page 204: Contrary to the author's contention, we don't have to "learn to enjoy complexity" and to achieve flow. We already have a natural capacity for flow, but it gets frustrated by the coercive demands of civilization. This is Freud's best insight.
Overt sexism:
Page 46: "During most of evolutionary history, gender specialization was simple: men had to produce, women reproduce." Where did this claim come from?! In fact, both men and women typically produced in hunter-gatherer societies. Reproduction is in no way "women's function."
He seems completely oblivious to how breathtakingly offensive and unsupportable this assertion is. He continues, saying, Louis XVI's mother had 11 miscarriages and 8 live births in 14 years, and "this was by no means an unusual situation during the millions of years of human evolution." In fact this kind of fertility is only present in sedentary societies. Nomadic hunter-gatherer families do not lug 10 kids along on their seasonal rounds.
Racism/ethnocentrism:
Page 69-70: He counters the claim that "the farther south you go, the higher the level of civilization" by citing tribes in equatorial Africa, who he unquestionably sees as the lowest level of society he can imagine.
Page 72: WOW offensive: "the world of the Gusii [of West Africa:] does not look that much different from the world structured by genes...[Their goals:] are an extension of similar goals shared by nonhuman primates and by other lower species."
Page 76: Alluding to Julian Jaynes's, M.C. writes, "It has even been proposed that it was only three thousand years ago that people began to realize that they were thinking."
Page 77: "Selfishness is an eternal part of living, and ruthless bullies must have been abundant" in the past. In a hypothetical example, "Zorg, the imaginary leader of a group of hominids" prior to the evolution of consciousness, "when prompted by hunger or sexual desires,...takes advantage of his dominant position to take more than his share." "If he snarls, the others cringe." However, there is no evidence for anything like this kind of leadership role among nomadic hunter-gatherers!
Page 86: "Chapter 4: Predators and Parasites" "Oppression and parasitic exploitation are constant features of evolution." The equation of parasitism with exploitation and predation with oppression are unfounded. The resemblance between recent social phenomena and biological phenomena does not imply a causal relationship.
Page 144: "The idea of 'country' is a necessary and beneficial component of culture."
Reactionary politics:
Page 104: "The meme for freedom has become concentrated in the American culture, and this, more than any other single trait, determines its uniqueness."
Page 108: "Much of history has consisted of periods in which some people worked hard to save property, while others squandered their opportunities in careless living. As time passed, the ones who had squandered became incensed at the injustice of owning so little. Often a revolution followed..."
Pages 264-5: "Many hard-working people, who are sometimes called workaholics, would disdainfully deny that they enjoy their jobs, an admission that would rob these jobs of their importance."
Why are jobs "important" independent of the worker's opinion to the contrary? M.C. seems determined to lie on behalf of workers who probably were telling the truth. The reason is his apparent affinity for the protestant work ethic. He believes that "Weber may have sold capitalism short;" that it's "the best game in town." He fails to see the obvious contradiction between flow and coercion.
Page 273: "Millions of immigrants from feudal societies, without any experience of democracy, have been lifted to a higher level of political awareness after being exposed to the laws of the United States."
And there you have it: we progress from Zorg to Africa to capitalism and the good ol' U.S. of A. Brilliant.
April 29, 2014
Fabulous, one of the best books I will read in 2014.
Truly deserves 5 stars, unlike many of my books, which I rate highly because I enjoyed them.
Criticism (minor): not the smoothest writing style (but well written despite the awkwardness of some phrasing). It is difficult to quote from this book for this reason (sentences not succinct or poetic).
Dated because written in 1993 (but easily updatable by the reader). So you have to chuckle at references to cassette tapes and Star Wars.
It is a serious book so not a lot of laughs (but strives to be positive).
Praise: Well organized, easy to follow, some extremely uplifting and thoughtful ideas. He outlines a process for human beings to improve our relationship to each other and the world around us, and makes a convincing argument for evolution of ideas. Original, but meshes and complements ideas in books by other authors, such as What Is Life? and FInite and Infinite Games
He uses many concrete examples from history which are interesting.
The bottom line is, everyone should read and talk about this book.
It is for people who are striving to be more than they are in mind, body, spirit and who want to make a positive difference to the world.
I would read it again.
Truly deserves 5 stars, unlike many of my books, which I rate highly because I enjoyed them.
Criticism (minor): not the smoothest writing style (but well written despite the awkwardness of some phrasing). It is difficult to quote from this book for this reason (sentences not succinct or poetic).
Dated because written in 1993 (but easily updatable by the reader). So you have to chuckle at references to cassette tapes and Star Wars.
It is a serious book so not a lot of laughs (but strives to be positive).
Praise: Well organized, easy to follow, some extremely uplifting and thoughtful ideas. He outlines a process for human beings to improve our relationship to each other and the world around us, and makes a convincing argument for evolution of ideas. Original, but meshes and complements ideas in books by other authors, such as What Is Life? and FInite and Infinite Games
He uses many concrete examples from history which are interesting.
The bottom line is, everyone should read and talk about this book.
It is for people who are striving to be more than they are in mind, body, spirit and who want to make a positive difference to the world.
I would read it again.
May 10, 2015
Вторая, прочитанная книга автора "Потока" окончательно убедила меня и сделала истинным поклонником Михайи Чиксентмихайи! И сейчас, смело, без колебаний, могу сказать, что его талант невероятно великий. Это гениальный современный психолог, и его работы не только весьма познавательны для человека, а и ещё весьма полезны.
Не прочитать эту книгу человеку образованному и умному равно упустить одну из лучших книг когда либо написанных. Автор поднял множество вопросов о новом человеке, человеке третьего тысячелетия, каким он должен быть и какие препятствия преодолеть на этом пути.
Думаю если человечество просуществует до четвёртого тысячелетия и/или дальше, то Михай Чиксентмихайи и его работы будут сравни Аристотелю и другим известнейшим философам Античной Греции и Римской империи.
Не прочитать эту книгу человеку образованному и умному равно упустить одну из лучших книг когда либо написанных. Автор поднял множество вопросов о новом человеке, человеке третьего тысячелетия, каким он должен быть и какие препятствия преодолеть на этом пути.
Думаю если человечество просуществует до четвёртого тысячелетия и/или дальше, то Михай Чиксентмихайи и его работы будут сравни Аристотелю и другим известнейшим философам Античной Греции и Римской империи.
February 21, 2016
Wow, did I not know what I was getting into with this! Unlike 'Flow' and 'Creativity,' this work by Csikszentmihalyi is all sort of... speculative. It positions itself as the followup to 'Flow,' but it's really in a whole other ballpark. Thought-provoking and rich with potentially useful ideas, it's nowhere *near* as grounded in data as the masterful 'Creativity.' I read it with great interest, and found it stimulating, but it's more of a manifesto than it is a source of information. Still, don't underestimate Csikszentmihalyi. He's a mind to be reckoned with, and the thoughts he lays out here, while potentially launched from his armchair, as still heady and worthy of scrutiny.
July 8, 2010
I loved Flow, but in this follow up Csikszentmihalyi applied his research theoretically, rather than empirically. H is theories were unconvincing — kind of Kumbaya, wouldn't it be wonderful if.......
Drifts all over the place.
I still love Flow.
Drifts all over the place.
I still love Flow.
May 12, 2012
I read The Evolving Self in tandem with Wilson's On Human Nature and they are very complimentary. They're both such good writers, but this one has fewer scientific pretensions than Wilson's does, and it reads a little more New Agey. But still, he is trying to make a science out of behavior here, trying to advise the making of the world along certain lines so that people can develop to their utmost potential and live their most fulfilled lives. To do this, they have to tear away the veils of illusion and, my favorite part of the book, look closely at the structures in our worlds that determine our reality and decide whether or not they suit the reality we'd like to see. He uses the term "meme" which I don't love here, because it sounds like he's writing a semiotics book from the 80s, but it does seem to express what he wants. Now that I think of it, this is a very deconstructionist book.
i don't know if I need to read Flow too -- I've already read (or, ahem, heavily skimmed) Becoming Adult, and think I've got his general gist. I like how in Becoming Adult he is very plain about the fact that most young adults are wildly unrealistic in their expectations of adulthood, and I wonder if that is a fact of life or there is something to really be done about it. Childhood is such a fairy tale -- it takes a lot of years of constructing reality before you can deconstruct it, after all, and it's the rare child who has no illusions about the world. I don't think I'd want to be that child.
i don't know if I need to read Flow too -- I've already read (or, ahem, heavily skimmed) Becoming Adult, and think I've got his general gist. I like how in Becoming Adult he is very plain about the fact that most young adults are wildly unrealistic in their expectations of adulthood, and I wonder if that is a fact of life or there is something to really be done about it. Childhood is such a fairy tale -- it takes a lot of years of constructing reality before you can deconstruct it, after all, and it's the rare child who has no illusions about the world. I don't think I'd want to be that child.
May 6, 2011
I buy the whole Flow thing. Now Csikszentmihalyi (author of Flow) comes out and tries to solve... everything. Consciousness, self development, societal development. He introduced me to the idea of memes, which is neat: just as plants are a platform for animals to live on, we humans are a platform for memes to live on, whether we like it or not. Also, he introduced a pretty clear vision of "What makes a better life?" and his answer is: "being complex", which means "being differentiated and integrated". Having multiple diverse parts that work together as a unified whole. (Think neural networks vs. hard-coded rules, if you've studied machine learning.) Reminds me of Ken Wilber, and I like them both; this is a vision I can get behind.
It's still pretty vague, though. It's kind of like saying "you need a balance": whenever you apply it to anything, you can say "X should be more differentiated" or "X should be more integrated." Okay, fine. The problem comes when he dedicates the last third of the book to applying his complexity theory to things. He starts railing against schools, economics, defense vs. environmental spending, etc etc, and it gets rather embarrassing.
It's still pretty vague, though. It's kind of like saying "you need a balance": whenever you apply it to anything, you can say "X should be more differentiated" or "X should be more integrated." Okay, fine. The problem comes when he dedicates the last third of the book to applying his complexity theory to things. He starts railing against schools, economics, defense vs. environmental spending, etc etc, and it gets rather embarrassing.
June 26, 2016
This book is a little dry, but this dude is one of our greatest thinkers. I liked Flow better, but I am glad I read this. Seek complexity and flow. Look for wisdom and try to overcome your useless biological urges. They don't work for you. He takes a historical/evolutionary perspective, which I appreciate.
April 17, 2013
Csikszentmihalyi is a professor of psychology at University of Chicago. His ideas on shaping the direction of evolution in the 3rd millenium are interesting and neatly presented. He will rebuke the increasingly alarming worship of materialism, instead accentuating the importance of finding moments of "flow" in which your self is detached from concerns and worries, and instead highly focused on the challenging activity at hand. It is through these moments of flow that allows us to find our skills and purpose. The book can be a bit dry and unsubstantiated at parts, but not any more so than similar attempts at discussing this difficult topic. It is especially good around the middle third.
I found this book further confirms many of the realisations that I thought of as I map my way through the world. An emphasis on complexity was a refreshing read, since I have always been an ambitious person whom sometimes had trouble explaining to my friends why I want to push my tastes in music and film. Oscar Wilde's quote, "The problem with school is that it got in the way of my education" has always been important to my learning and personal development. Csikszentmihalyi also disapproved the lack of integration of the disciplines that we learn as a student, if only we could go to school and learn some of the most important skills we need to live a purposeful life: kindness, the causes and consequences of the world's problems, history of some of the world's greatest people, respect for others, manners, social skills, autonomy, spirituality. It would be a breeding ground for political indoctrination if done poorly, but a powerful ripple to spark a generation of successful humans if done well. The progress starts with a single person, and then onto a small group of four (evolution cell) and then a community. So, I therefore must continue working on improving myself, hitting my goals and targets, be an individual which aims for complexity rather than entropy, while watching out and alarming others of individuals whom attempt to exploit the psychic energy of others. I <3 minimalism and anti-consumption.
-"what happens is that attention turns to information that conflicts with goals; the discrepancy between what u desire and what is actually happening creates the inner tension." p36
-"the world we can see is only the part that registers upon the senses. There are all sorts of things happening around us about which we have no idea because they are beyond our perceptual threshold." p60
-"each person creates the world he or she lives in by investing attention in certain things and by doing so according to certain patterns." p65
-"to lift the second veil of illusion involves realizing how partial a view of reality even the most sophisticated culture affords...those who adopt a counter culture stance end up being just as controlled, or more so, by their rebellious views as they would have been by the mainline ones they abandoned." p75
-"with the advent of reflective consciousness, the ego begins to use possessions to symbolize the self." "The more the ego becomes identified with symbols outside the self the more vulnerable it becomes." p79
-3rd veil of Maya: "it distorts reality so as to make it congruent with the needs of the ego."
-the ego of the future: "secure enough to forgo desires beyond what are necessary...relies on possessions that are not scarce...satisfied with what is unique about itself and its experiences...identified with the greatest common good - not only with kin and country, but with humanity as a whole, and beyond humanity, with the principle of life itself." p82
-"people whom we would call happy - are generally individuals who have lived their lives according to rules they themselves created...they do what they do because they enjoy meeting the challenges of life, because they enjoy life itself." p82
-"we devote more energy to train young people to be consumers than to be autonomous individuals." p116
-"complexity (optimal development of both differentiation and integration) is not necessarily the direction in which evolution inevitably progresses, but it is the direction in which it must move to secure us a livable future." p157
-4 noble worlds: learning, realization, Bodhisattva (compassion, altruism), and Buddhahood (absolute freedom and understanding of ultimate truth)
-"this Buddhist hierarchy is built on the assumption that the ideal direction for human development involves differentiation (ability to free oneself from genetic and social determinism by developing control over one's impulses and desires) and integration (compassion, altruism, and finally a blending of one's hard-won individuality with the harmony underlying the cosmos)" p161
-"(religions) ...if they were only able to see buying the veil of Maya spun by the historical accidents that account for the superficial differences between their creeds." p161
-"progress means freeing oneself from genetic commands, then from cultural constraints, and finally from the desires of the self." p161
-"all too often we make even important decisions - such as which person to marry, what job to take - for reasons that are dictated by unexamined genetic instructions or social conventions." p167
-"the world in which our children and their children will live is built, minute by minute, through the choices we endorse with our psychic energy...our small habits of mind and behavior: the way we talk to our children, how we spend our free time, whether we always increase the consumption of finite resources or whether we find ways to live within less wasteful limits" p167
-moments of flow can occur in a sewer when she stops seeing it as a job and more as something enjoyable. This is a great way to get people to do things - make the chore fun.
-"(flow).. This escape does not represent a descent into entropy, as when one dulls one's senses with drugs or simple pleasures; it is an escape forward into higher complexity, where one homes one's potential by confronting new challenges." p184
-"the normal condition of the mind is chaos." p190
-"in an ideal society each person would carve, weave, program computers, paint, tell stories, sing, and dance, and there would be little need for professional performers to take people's minds off the monotony of what they do day in, day out." p198
-"...combine harmoniously these opposite tendencies: ...original yet systemic, independent yet responsible, bold yet disciplined, intuitive yet rational. He balances a healthy pride in his uniqueness with a deep interest and concern for others." p238
-"the first step to wisdom is to realize that we cannot trust implicitly our senses and our beliefs, yet to still be eager to understand the reality that lies behind our partial perceptions of it." p242
-"Socrates kept claiming ignorance all through his illustrious career, to bring new knowledge to light." p242
I found this book further confirms many of the realisations that I thought of as I map my way through the world. An emphasis on complexity was a refreshing read, since I have always been an ambitious person whom sometimes had trouble explaining to my friends why I want to push my tastes in music and film. Oscar Wilde's quote, "The problem with school is that it got in the way of my education" has always been important to my learning and personal development. Csikszentmihalyi also disapproved the lack of integration of the disciplines that we learn as a student, if only we could go to school and learn some of the most important skills we need to live a purposeful life: kindness, the causes and consequences of the world's problems, history of some of the world's greatest people, respect for others, manners, social skills, autonomy, spirituality. It would be a breeding ground for political indoctrination if done poorly, but a powerful ripple to spark a generation of successful humans if done well. The progress starts with a single person, and then onto a small group of four (evolution cell) and then a community. So, I therefore must continue working on improving myself, hitting my goals and targets, be an individual which aims for complexity rather than entropy, while watching out and alarming others of individuals whom attempt to exploit the psychic energy of others. I <3 minimalism and anti-consumption.
-"what happens is that attention turns to information that conflicts with goals; the discrepancy between what u desire and what is actually happening creates the inner tension." p36
-"the world we can see is only the part that registers upon the senses. There are all sorts of things happening around us about which we have no idea because they are beyond our perceptual threshold." p60
-"each person creates the world he or she lives in by investing attention in certain things and by doing so according to certain patterns." p65
-"to lift the second veil of illusion involves realizing how partial a view of reality even the most sophisticated culture affords...those who adopt a counter culture stance end up being just as controlled, or more so, by their rebellious views as they would have been by the mainline ones they abandoned." p75
-"with the advent of reflective consciousness, the ego begins to use possessions to symbolize the self." "The more the ego becomes identified with symbols outside the self the more vulnerable it becomes." p79
-3rd veil of Maya: "it distorts reality so as to make it congruent with the needs of the ego."
-the ego of the future: "secure enough to forgo desires beyond what are necessary...relies on possessions that are not scarce...satisfied with what is unique about itself and its experiences...identified with the greatest common good - not only with kin and country, but with humanity as a whole, and beyond humanity, with the principle of life itself." p82
-"people whom we would call happy - are generally individuals who have lived their lives according to rules they themselves created...they do what they do because they enjoy meeting the challenges of life, because they enjoy life itself." p82
-"we devote more energy to train young people to be consumers than to be autonomous individuals." p116
-"complexity (optimal development of both differentiation and integration) is not necessarily the direction in which evolution inevitably progresses, but it is the direction in which it must move to secure us a livable future." p157
-4 noble worlds: learning, realization, Bodhisattva (compassion, altruism), and Buddhahood (absolute freedom and understanding of ultimate truth)
-"this Buddhist hierarchy is built on the assumption that the ideal direction for human development involves differentiation (ability to free oneself from genetic and social determinism by developing control over one's impulses and desires) and integration (compassion, altruism, and finally a blending of one's hard-won individuality with the harmony underlying the cosmos)" p161
-"(religions) ...if they were only able to see buying the veil of Maya spun by the historical accidents that account for the superficial differences between their creeds." p161
-"progress means freeing oneself from genetic commands, then from cultural constraints, and finally from the desires of the self." p161
-"all too often we make even important decisions - such as which person to marry, what job to take - for reasons that are dictated by unexamined genetic instructions or social conventions." p167
-"the world in which our children and their children will live is built, minute by minute, through the choices we endorse with our psychic energy...our small habits of mind and behavior: the way we talk to our children, how we spend our free time, whether we always increase the consumption of finite resources or whether we find ways to live within less wasteful limits" p167
-moments of flow can occur in a sewer when she stops seeing it as a job and more as something enjoyable. This is a great way to get people to do things - make the chore fun.
-"(flow).. This escape does not represent a descent into entropy, as when one dulls one's senses with drugs or simple pleasures; it is an escape forward into higher complexity, where one homes one's potential by confronting new challenges." p184
-"the normal condition of the mind is chaos." p190
-"in an ideal society each person would carve, weave, program computers, paint, tell stories, sing, and dance, and there would be little need for professional performers to take people's minds off the monotony of what they do day in, day out." p198
-"...combine harmoniously these opposite tendencies: ...original yet systemic, independent yet responsible, bold yet disciplined, intuitive yet rational. He balances a healthy pride in his uniqueness with a deep interest and concern for others." p238
-"the first step to wisdom is to realize that we cannot trust implicitly our senses and our beliefs, yet to still be eager to understand the reality that lies behind our partial perceptions of it." p242
-"Socrates kept claiming ignorance all through his illustrious career, to bring new knowledge to light." p242
December 28, 2017
этот неловкий момент, когда у человека есть великая теория, и он блестяще изложил ее в одной книге, но кушать хочется не один раз в жизни, а постоянно, поэтому автор пытается написать еще 10 книг про эту теорию, но выходит плохо
ничего не добавила эта книга к моему знанию и ощущению теории потока, добавила только недоумения и раздражения. работает - не лезь.
ничего не добавила эта книга к моему знанию и ощущению теории потока, добавила только недоумения и раздражения. работает - не лезь.
April 2, 2022
I first heard the author's name during my grad studies as he is most famously known for his famous work on "flow." After seeing this book in the bookstore, I immediately bought it, and what an amazing and informing book it turned out to be! His wisdom and his insights are on point to such an extent that personally, I believe that this book should be a required read in schools.
His most striking point is about "entropy" which is defined as gradual decline to disorder. In his own words, it is defined as "...the most universal law of nature; it states that complex systems tend to break down, ..., that order will decompose in disorder." The only way to exist is "finding ways to forestall entropy, and this self-preservation includes using some outside source energy to keep themselves intact over time." (p. 152) This fight against entropy makes us more complex beings because we are evolving day by day while constructing a reality for ourselves. In author's own terms "evolution is the history of complexification of the living matter." (p.170) When we regard evolution as a guiding process, it does not mean to simply forgetting about all ethical rules, living like animals, and living only for pleasure as opposed to what some religious people would suggest. This would actually go against the complexity that we are striving to achieve for as a part of our evolution process. Instead, we humans should aim to grow our emotions, character, and sensitivity, and keep learning new things or reinforce our learnings through our lifetimes. It shouldn't only involve taking in information mindlessly, but critical thinking and integrating that knowledge into our world. Only that way we can create better and more complex generations and contribute to the never-ending evolution process. Only then, we can come close to being successful in our fight against entropy.
This book is almost like a manual on how humans operate and should operate just because the ideas rely on what is true about us as living beings–evolution. And if you read this book, as you read through the pages, you will also realize how common sense and how straightforward some answers are when the explanations are based on our evolution and progress over time as opposed to other explanations maybe your society, family, religion, or culture offered you. Highly-recommended.
His most striking point is about "entropy" which is defined as gradual decline to disorder. In his own words, it is defined as "...the most universal law of nature; it states that complex systems tend to break down, ..., that order will decompose in disorder." The only way to exist is "finding ways to forestall entropy, and this self-preservation includes using some outside source energy to keep themselves intact over time." (p. 152) This fight against entropy makes us more complex beings because we are evolving day by day while constructing a reality for ourselves. In author's own terms "evolution is the history of complexification of the living matter." (p.170) When we regard evolution as a guiding process, it does not mean to simply forgetting about all ethical rules, living like animals, and living only for pleasure as opposed to what some religious people would suggest. This would actually go against the complexity that we are striving to achieve for as a part of our evolution process. Instead, we humans should aim to grow our emotions, character, and sensitivity, and keep learning new things or reinforce our learnings through our lifetimes. It shouldn't only involve taking in information mindlessly, but critical thinking and integrating that knowledge into our world. Only that way we can create better and more complex generations and contribute to the never-ending evolution process. Only then, we can come close to being successful in our fight against entropy.
This book is almost like a manual on how humans operate and should operate just because the ideas rely on what is true about us as living beings–evolution. And if you read this book, as you read through the pages, you will also realize how common sense and how straightforward some answers are when the explanations are based on our evolution and progress over time as opposed to other explanations maybe your society, family, religion, or culture offered you. Highly-recommended.
January 22, 2019
I decided to read this book after reading the Flow. I was amazed by the Flow and did much more research on this field, especially by checking Csikszentmihalyi's other work. I am fascinated by his wordings and his voice of literature. I definitely feel the flow while reading his book.
I agree with most of the theories and hypotheses he suggested both on this book and on the Flow. I feel like I will provide many spoilers if I write about the details of the book. Thus, I would like to suggest you all reading Csikszentmihalyi to discover one's own and find out what makes them feel the flow. This way, each individual might have the opportunity to widen the limits of one's own and thus evolve to be the best version of one's own.
In order to prevent entropy caused by the recent developments, we should find out the thing that grows our mind. By growing our minds, we still will be able to protect our consciousness not to fall into the trap of cognitive fallacies used by media, technology, society and so on... We are evolved with the neocortex thus it is our duty to be able to use this ability we carry on. Otherwise, the discomfort and entropy are unavoidable.
I should indicate that for me Flow was much more fascinating and inspiring; I felt like there was a bit revision from the Flow on this. However, since I am fascinated by the theory, and reading more makes me understand the concept better. Thus, I am quite satisfied with the book even though it was repetitive sometimes.
I would like to finish with a quote that I liked;
"It is no small accomplishment to be a decent person, an honest citizen with a contented family. If everyone achieved these goals, we would not have worry too much about the future. But it is almost impossible to live a decent life when the social system is devoted to greed and blind exploitation. And to change the system, one needs to step out of the cocoon of personal goals and confront larger issues in the public arena".
I agree with most of the theories and hypotheses he suggested both on this book and on the Flow. I feel like I will provide many spoilers if I write about the details of the book. Thus, I would like to suggest you all reading Csikszentmihalyi to discover one's own and find out what makes them feel the flow. This way, each individual might have the opportunity to widen the limits of one's own and thus evolve to be the best version of one's own.
In order to prevent entropy caused by the recent developments, we should find out the thing that grows our mind. By growing our minds, we still will be able to protect our consciousness not to fall into the trap of cognitive fallacies used by media, technology, society and so on... We are evolved with the neocortex thus it is our duty to be able to use this ability we carry on. Otherwise, the discomfort and entropy are unavoidable.
I should indicate that for me Flow was much more fascinating and inspiring; I felt like there was a bit revision from the Flow on this. However, since I am fascinated by the theory, and reading more makes me understand the concept better. Thus, I am quite satisfied with the book even though it was repetitive sometimes.
I would like to finish with a quote that I liked;
"It is no small accomplishment to be a decent person, an honest citizen with a contented family. If everyone achieved these goals, we would not have worry too much about the future. But it is almost impossible to live a decent life when the social system is devoted to greed and blind exploitation. And to change the system, one needs to step out of the cocoon of personal goals and confront larger issues in the public arena".
July 8, 2008
Of the three Csikszentmihalyi books i've read Finding Flow, Good Business and now this, The Evolving Self this is his most comprehensive collection of his philosophies and insights, but not the most compelling.
frankly, I had trouble finishing the book. I love the spirit of his words and he is one the most thoughtful and engaged writers I've read when talking about flow, and sucking the meat out of life, but folded into a larger evolutionary patina i found it dry and bordering on preachy.
I say bordering on because he has restraint enough to hold back enough to make it flirting rather than foreplay but you can't escape the the sensation that he thinks the world ought to be a lot better than it is and when people start talking like that i tend to tune out.
for a reasoned call for virtue, wisdom, and harmony this book excels. For compelling, realistic guidance i think its found lacking.
frankly, I had trouble finishing the book. I love the spirit of his words and he is one the most thoughtful and engaged writers I've read when talking about flow, and sucking the meat out of life, but folded into a larger evolutionary patina i found it dry and bordering on preachy.
I say bordering on because he has restraint enough to hold back enough to make it flirting rather than foreplay but you can't escape the the sensation that he thinks the world ought to be a lot better than it is and when people start talking like that i tend to tune out.
for a reasoned call for virtue, wisdom, and harmony this book excels. For compelling, realistic guidance i think its found lacking.
August 23, 2008
This is the most profound book I've ever read. Csikszentmihalyi's writing is more "dense" or "obtuse" here as you wish, however, the central question, "Will you ever be anything more than a vessel transmitting the genes and memes of previous generations on to the next?" is THE number one question in life. It's a question that gets one thinking for decades.
Sadly, looking at Northern Ireland, Central Africa, former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, Myanmar, or your neighborhood, the answer for most people worldwide is "no."
Sadly, looking at Northern Ireland, Central Africa, former Yugoslavia, the Middle East, Myanmar, or your neighborhood, the answer for most people worldwide is "no."
August 16, 2015
Interesting read for anyone that's wanting to understand all the clutter inside one's own head. Bigger still is the idea that we can create a collective consciousness that moves beyond selfish and materialistic needs in the 21st century. This book asks lots of big questions, and forced me to attempt to understand the ways in which my own mental energies are often squandered or dictated unconsciously to me. It left me vitalised and more self-aware.
June 15, 2018
Although peppered with some interesting ideas, it was verbose and, for me, mostly uninspiring. The audiobook performance was too slow, and I put the speed on 1.25 to keep myself from falling into a distracted stupor.
April 24, 2020
Inside you there are two wolves who invented positive psychology. One is a hippy huckster fixated on character strengths, named Seligmann. The other is a cynical reductionist immigrant that brought flow to the table, named Csikzentmihalyi. Feed Csikzentmihalyi. He subsists mostly on vowels.
This book caught me off guard because through most of my college career the courses focused on mindfulness, virtues, and all that other good vibes only Deepak Chopra bullshit that has come to be synonymous with positive psychology via Seligmann, with flow added as an afterthought and Csikzentmihalyi going virtually unknown. In retrospect, it probably has something to do with its unpronounceability. But since these dudes are the two pillars of positive psych, and positive psych is the end-all-be-all approach right now if you ignore CBT (which is less of a therapeutic treatment and more of a band-aid beloved of insurance companies for its reliable billing structure), I expected it to be another four-hundred page kumbaya singalong ending with some "affordably priced" seminars.
Not so. Csikzentmihalyi is so jaded and evolution-minded that I had to make sure this book wasn't ghost-written by Yuval Noah Harari. He catalogs the myriad things that are wrong, depressing, and shitty in the world, wrapping up each chapter with some fun little self-talk questions designed to make us really zero in on our maladaptive and self-destructive behaviors and thought patterns. Then, he offers the same solution, again and again, paraphrased as follows:
"Go justify your life. Find a purpose and hurl yourself headlong into it. The more time you spend in flow, the happier your life is. Farm up the flow by building a skill and then challenging it appropriate to your skill level. Bonus points if your preferred activity, hobby, or trade is prosocial."
This is not the old "love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life" chestnut, because you will. But the studies show that people tend to experience the most flow at their jobs. If you ask them, nobody's going to say, "I'm happiest at work. Woo lads! Rise and grind and don't even give me the bread, I'm just here for the subjective well-being!" Everyone thinks they want leisure time, and every once in a while that's true, but a life of leisure will drive you insane. Even Sunday mornings will sometimes drive you insane if you're not a churchie.
It's the way our brains are set up. We're goal-motivated. The limbic system is built to drive us along to the next objective. The dopamine don't hit the same unless we're earning it.
If you don't believe me, that's cool. I wouldn't either if some handsome stallion on a book review told me that my desire to Scrooge McDuck it on a money pile and never have to worry about anything for the rest of my life was fake. You can google around and look at the stats on the interplay between depression and unemployment/retirement/SSI/other situations where you get money without having to do anything, but those can be rationalized away by any of billions of confounding variables too.
The best argument is flow itself. It's what makes us self-actualized, and that's what makes a life. Take it from Csikzentmihalyi. The miserable old fuck.
Five stars. I couldn't put it down, and I don't even like positive psych.
This book caught me off guard because through most of my college career the courses focused on mindfulness, virtues, and all that other good vibes only Deepak Chopra bullshit that has come to be synonymous with positive psychology via Seligmann, with flow added as an afterthought and Csikzentmihalyi going virtually unknown. In retrospect, it probably has something to do with its unpronounceability. But since these dudes are the two pillars of positive psych, and positive psych is the end-all-be-all approach right now if you ignore CBT (which is less of a therapeutic treatment and more of a band-aid beloved of insurance companies for its reliable billing structure), I expected it to be another four-hundred page kumbaya singalong ending with some "affordably priced" seminars.
Not so. Csikzentmihalyi is so jaded and evolution-minded that I had to make sure this book wasn't ghost-written by Yuval Noah Harari. He catalogs the myriad things that are wrong, depressing, and shitty in the world, wrapping up each chapter with some fun little self-talk questions designed to make us really zero in on our maladaptive and self-destructive behaviors and thought patterns. Then, he offers the same solution, again and again, paraphrased as follows:
"Go justify your life. Find a purpose and hurl yourself headlong into it. The more time you spend in flow, the happier your life is. Farm up the flow by building a skill and then challenging it appropriate to your skill level. Bonus points if your preferred activity, hobby, or trade is prosocial."
This is not the old "love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life" chestnut, because you will. But the studies show that people tend to experience the most flow at their jobs. If you ask them, nobody's going to say, "I'm happiest at work. Woo lads! Rise and grind and don't even give me the bread, I'm just here for the subjective well-being!" Everyone thinks they want leisure time, and every once in a while that's true, but a life of leisure will drive you insane. Even Sunday mornings will sometimes drive you insane if you're not a churchie.
It's the way our brains are set up. We're goal-motivated. The limbic system is built to drive us along to the next objective. The dopamine don't hit the same unless we're earning it.
If you don't believe me, that's cool. I wouldn't either if some handsome stallion on a book review told me that my desire to Scrooge McDuck it on a money pile and never have to worry about anything for the rest of my life was fake. You can google around and look at the stats on the interplay between depression and unemployment/retirement/SSI/other situations where you get money without having to do anything, but those can be rationalized away by any of billions of confounding variables too.
The best argument is flow itself. It's what makes us self-actualized, and that's what makes a life. Take it from Csikzentmihalyi. The miserable old fuck.
Five stars. I couldn't put it down, and I don't even like positive psych.
June 13, 2025
In The Evolving Self, Csikszentmihalyi focuses on what human consciousness is capable of achieving. The idea is to provide a roadmap for evolving beyond the limitations of selfishness, entropy, and cultural conditioning by encouraging individuals to learn how to consciously direct their psychic energy toward complexity, meaning, and integration.
In contrast to his previous work, this book focuses more on how the principles of seeking and living in flow need to be applied to modern life, which is devoid of deep meaning and can lead to nihilism. To achieve this, we must find a balance between differentiation (i.e., allowing our uniqueness to be present as we develop our skills, aim towards goals, and improve our self-knowledge) and integration (i.e., connecting with others, recognizing our interdependence, and contributing to the greater whole).
To achieve this, we must aim for an education that fosters curiosity, complexity, and moral imagination, parenting and mentorship that helps young people find meaning and develop autonomy, and a spirituality and science that can be harmonized by helping human life be part of a larger evolutionary pattern.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to develop their critical thinking skills and lead a more mindful, intentional life.
In contrast to his previous work, this book focuses more on how the principles of seeking and living in flow need to be applied to modern life, which is devoid of deep meaning and can lead to nihilism. To achieve this, we must find a balance between differentiation (i.e., allowing our uniqueness to be present as we develop our skills, aim towards goals, and improve our self-knowledge) and integration (i.e., connecting with others, recognizing our interdependence, and contributing to the greater whole).
To achieve this, we must aim for an education that fosters curiosity, complexity, and moral imagination, parenting and mentorship that helps young people find meaning and develop autonomy, and a spirituality and science that can be harmonized by helping human life be part of a larger evolutionary pattern.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to develop their critical thinking skills and lead a more mindful, intentional life.
May 3, 2023
2,5 stars; Less focused than ‘finding flow’; not quite sure what the aim of the author was; it’s all over the the place; psychology, sociology, evolutionary biology, information theory, philosophy; no new insights, will read ‘flow’ next.
December 2, 2024
If I could invite anyone, living or dead for dinner and conversation, I'd invite Csikszentmihalyi. They call this his favorite of the books he's written, and I'll rate it one of my favorites of all time. Already renowned for the concept of psychological flow, he takes it to the next level here, applying it to humanity as a whole. What if we developed a world in which individuals could develop their potential in harmony with others and the planet? With an incredible perspective, encyclopedic knowledge, and incredible imagination, he takes us on a journey which makes such a future seem possible. I'm all for it. Want to join my futuristic cell?
November 16, 2020
3.5 stars
You can drive a car all your life without knowing how the engine works, because the goal of driving is to get from one place to the next, regardless how it's done. But to live without understanding how we think, why we feel the way we feel, what directs our actions is to miss what is most important in life, which is the experience itself.
It took me quite a while to finish MC's follow-up book on Flow. Don't get me wrong, i'm still a major fan of Flow but I just found myself dragging to finish this till the end. The first chapters on this book were engaging and enjoyable as it adds on to the concept flow, excavating deeply to its roots and expounding on man's peculiar built-in biases.
After building up his arguments of understanding our evolutionary past, from genes (information passed through chemical instructions) to memes (information passed through imitation and learning), he then proceeds to write a manifesto rather than a technical research paper. At the end of every chapter, MC provides guide questions for his readers to critically reflect on for each section. This sets it apart from his other works. I was probably primed to expect something similar to his previous works for personal research purposes. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book, especially to the individual few who are curious and concerned as to how they can personally shape the future generations in the means of their own individual uniqueness.
You can drive a car all your life without knowing how the engine works, because the goal of driving is to get from one place to the next, regardless how it's done. But to live without understanding how we think, why we feel the way we feel, what directs our actions is to miss what is most important in life, which is the experience itself.
It took me quite a while to finish MC's follow-up book on Flow. Don't get me wrong, i'm still a major fan of Flow but I just found myself dragging to finish this till the end. The first chapters on this book were engaging and enjoyable as it adds on to the concept flow, excavating deeply to its roots and expounding on man's peculiar built-in biases.
After building up his arguments of understanding our evolutionary past, from genes (information passed through chemical instructions) to memes (information passed through imitation and learning), he then proceeds to write a manifesto rather than a technical research paper. At the end of every chapter, MC provides guide questions for his readers to critically reflect on for each section. This sets it apart from his other works. I was probably primed to expect something similar to his previous works for personal research purposes. Nonetheless, I would still recommend this book, especially to the individual few who are curious and concerned as to how they can personally shape the future generations in the means of their own individual uniqueness.
January 13, 2017
Михай Чиксентмихайи - профессор психологии и экс-декан факультета Чикагского университета. Его часто называют самым цитируемым психологом современности.
И это не удивительно, ведь из под его пера вышло более 20 рукописей. Самой известной из них является книга "Поток", увидевшая свет в 1990 году. Она была переведена на тридцать (!) языков мира и является результатом его 25-летних исследований состояния счастья.
Продолжение "Потока" - книга "Эволюция личности", будет интересна всем интересующимся развитием человеческого потенциала.
В десяти главах автор последовательно убеждает читателей, что решение множества экономических, экологических и социальных проблем современности
возможно только совместными усилиями высоко-развитых личностей, находящихся в состоянии потока/счастья.
Именно от них зависит судьба мира и будущее человечества. Такова психология третьего тысячелетия. Как стать такой личностью можно узнать прочитав книгу.
И это не удивительно, ведь из под его пера вышло более 20 рукописей. Самой известной из них является книга "Поток", увидевшая свет в 1990 году. Она была переведена на тридцать (!) языков мира и является результатом его 25-летних исследований состояния счастья.
Продолжение "Потока" - книга "Эволюция личности", будет интересна всем интересующимся развитием человеческого потенциала.
В десяти главах автор последовательно убеждает читателей, что решение множества экономических, экологических и социальных проблем современности
возможно только совместными усилиями высоко-развитых личностей, находящихся в состоянии потока/счастья.
Именно от них зависит судьба мира и будущее человечества. Такова психология третьего тысячелетия. Как стать такой личностью можно узнать прочитав книгу.
June 12, 2018
Mellennials's future depends on understanding the author's message, not to mention everyone else!
Conscientiously explains that we are biologically wired for survival, culturally influenced and internal information processors. These three sources of motivation compel us to act and develop in particular ways.
Authentic meaning and purpose can only develop when we realize each one of us have personal options above and beyond what our biology, our culture or our individual past might compel us, or mindlessly have us do.
In a culture that has devolved into materialism and immediate gratification as its "Tower of Babel" I fear the "helicopter and feel good generation" will not develop the internal motivation or skills to seek further than what's biologically and culturally driven and immediate.
I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks meaning, flow and peace of mind.
Conscientiously explains that we are biologically wired for survival, culturally influenced and internal information processors. These three sources of motivation compel us to act and develop in particular ways.
Authentic meaning and purpose can only develop when we realize each one of us have personal options above and beyond what our biology, our culture or our individual past might compel us, or mindlessly have us do.
In a culture that has devolved into materialism and immediate gratification as its "Tower of Babel" I fear the "helicopter and feel good generation" will not develop the internal motivation or skills to seek further than what's biologically and culturally driven and immediate.
I would recommend this book to anyone who seeks meaning, flow and peace of mind.
July 30, 2013
This book provided the type of internal discourse needed to aggravate/ shake up and re-sort prior thinking and understanding.. It also prompted some great conversation with others. It is an eloquent, insightful, and patient argument about who we are and might be.
I would recommend it to anyone who might be a little overwhelmed with he looming complex challenges we face as a culture (limited resources, unrepresentationl governments, detructive cultural memes, uninspired education, etc). Unlike some reading, it provides some meaningful observations paired with recommendations that are relieving, in that it promotes action and not apathy- though logical and inspiring argument.
I highly recommend. Even if there is disagreement in some of the arguments Mihaly promotes, it is perfect for rasing the level of conversation about the very things we should all be concerned about.
I would recommend it to anyone who might be a little overwhelmed with he looming complex challenges we face as a culture (limited resources, unrepresentationl governments, detructive cultural memes, uninspired education, etc). Unlike some reading, it provides some meaningful observations paired with recommendations that are relieving, in that it promotes action and not apathy- though logical and inspiring argument.
I highly recommend. Even if there is disagreement in some of the arguments Mihaly promotes, it is perfect for rasing the level of conversation about the very things we should all be concerned about.
December 8, 2014
Good enough. If I had read this when I was say, 22, my mind might have been blown a bit. As it stands, reading it now, I appreciate Csikszentmihalyi's thesis (we are directed by genetic, environmental, social/memetic, etc. factors, and this shapes our evolution; we need not be, and can craft a transcendental 'self' that identifies beyond the individual but towards a union of species and planet) but am not specifically moved. His prescription for the direction of the human race had to do with increasing species complexity by providing more people a chance to achieve the 'flow'-experiences he had studied in his earlier work (which is totally worth reading for those who haven't).
Meh? Meh.
Meh? Meh.
January 7, 2012
A smooth read but there were a few instances in which I disagreed with the implications of what he was saying. I most enjoyed the discussions of flow and self-actualization. Csikszentmihalyi's idealistic global evolutionary perspective becomes tiresome after awhile. He repeatedly lobs vague yet familiar complaints toward the typical scapegoats. I really should have read "Flow" first.. I'll be getting to that soon. Csikszentmihalyi's scientific contextualization of the phenomenon of flow is his true offering to all of us. In spite of my criticisms, I enjoyed the book and extracted a couple personal gems from it which I will surely be rubbing between my fingers over the next week.
January 29, 2013
As a fan of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow, i was rather dissappointed with this book. Written 3 years after Flow, it is suppose to pick up where Flow ended with the proposition that only by understanding better our evolutionary past we can give order and purpose to our lives in future. My favourite parts of Evolving Self were the beginning when Csikszentmihalyi touches on evolution and self, illusion and the perception of reality, impact of genes, culture, environment on evolution; and the end chapters where he revisits the flow topics. I found the middle sections of the part rather dry...was definitely not in the Flow.
January 29, 2014
Mihaly in the Evolving Self shows a very unique way to relate aspects of evolution of the human kind as a species and aspects of everyday life. He has a theoretical plan of evolution as well as practical evidences that can make slight to big changes in our lives, such as the flow experience. Even though some of his examples to sustain his theory is at times kept superficial, losing a rational logic, the reader is able to extract the essence of the idea. Very worth reading and re-reading, a lot of changes presented to be applied in our daily routine.
February 1, 2020
A lot of what he says makes sense and it’s a nice idea to believe that we can influence the direction of evolution but I just don’t think that it’s quite so simple as he suggests. Evolution happens on such a larger scale and there are so many factors entirely out of our control. But it’s a nice way to focus your life. I think it’s rewarding to consider how my individual choices and focuses would contribute to the over all common good.
June 29, 2022
Un meritat 3.5, de fapt. O carte solida, dar nu impresionanta. Posibil datorita faptului ca intalnisem diverse concepte discutata in alte contexte, deci nu mi-a adus multa noutate, nici macar in felul in care a fost organizata informatia pe parcusul capitolelor. Ce mi-a placut in mod deosebit si a fost revelator e explicatia complexitatii, si anume diferentiere + integrare. Musai amandoua, altfel consecintele nu au cum sa fie pozitive.
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