Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Presents Phi Beta Kappa Lecture

Nov. 11, 2002

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, an authority on the psychology of creativity, will present a public lecture, "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience," in The Ames Library’s Beckman Auditorium at Illinois Wesleyan on Wednesday, November 20, at 7 p.m.

Csikszentmihalyi is visiting the University as a Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar. In addition to his lecture, he will be visiting several classes and meeting with faculty, students, and area members of Phi Beta Kappa.

Currently the C.S. and D.J. Davidson Professor of Psychology at the Drucker Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and director of the Quality of Life Research Center, Csikszentmihalyi is also professor emeritus of human development at the University of Chicago.

Csikszentmihalyi has spent much of his life studying what makes people happy. He has invented the concept of "flow" as a metaphorical description of the rare mental state associated with feelings of optimal satisfaction and fulfillment. His book on this subject, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, has been cited by corporate executives, politicians, and even a Super Bowl-winning professional football coach for the inspiration it provides.

Csikszentmihalyi has been a resident scholar at the Rockefeller Study Center in Bellagio, a fellow at the Center for Advanced Studies in Behavioral Sciences, and a senior Fulbright fellow in Brazil and New Zealand. He was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and the American Psychological Society.

The Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Program sponsors visits of at least 12 distinguished scholars who visit 100 colleges and universities. The purpose of the program is to contribute to the intellectual life of the institution by allowing an exchange of ideas between the Visiting Scholars and resident faculty and students.

Each scholar spends two days on each campus, meeting informally with students and faculty members, taking part in classroom discussions, and giving a public lecture open to the entire academic community.

Csikszentmihalyi’s visit is sponsored by the Illinois Wesleyan chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.