Autotelic Personality

The word joins two Greek roots, auto, self, and telos, goal: an autotelic activity is its own goal. In Flow (1990), Csikszentmihalyi observes that some people enter flow far more often than others in the same circumstances, and he describes the traits that make the difference as an autotelic self. Such a person is less absorbed in self-concern and more in the task, and needs fewer rewards from outside because the activity itself repays them. He also argues that the trait can be developed, and his account points to four habits. Set goals, even small ones, so attention has a direction. Become immersed in the activity rather than half-present. Pay attention to what is happening, which supplies the feedback flow needs. And learn to enjoy the immediate experience instead of only the outcome. Together these turn an ordinary task into a series of small challenges with clear signals, and as skill grows the person raises the challenge to keep the balance between boredom and anxiety. The point is practical: flow is not reserved for surgeons and climbers, and much of it is available in the routine work most people already do.