Psychology of Movement Commons^™

A Longitudinal Examination Of Flow As A Predictor Of Recreational Exercise, Brian Michael Chichester

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Flow state is a valued psychological state of enjoyment and well-being. It is characterized by feelings of intrinsic self-reward and marked by nine dimensions theorized to contribute to flow state. Flow has been studied mostly in elite athletes, whom report highly lucid flow experiences; to a much lesser extent it has been studied in recreational exercisers. Most prior research methodologies involve experience sampling or qualitative techniques, such as interviewing. Only one demonstrably valid and reliable flow instrument is widely available for efficient, quantitative measure of flow experiences. This study measures flow longitudinally in a recreational exercising population by comparing a …