The evolving self : a psychology for the third millennium

In the bestselling Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced a radical new theory of happiness. Through years of systematic research, he discovered that what makes people truly satisfied is to be actively involved in a difficult enterprise - a task that stretches physical or mental abilities. Whether it involves climbing a mountain, reading, or solving a complicated business problem, such activities lead to flow, a rare state of consciousness that focuses the energies of those who experience it and helps lift them above everyday anxieties. Flow concluded with a vision of transforming life into a unified flow experience, and it is both that possibility and the development of the necessary faith that underlies it that are the subject of its sequel, The Evolving Self. But where, Csikszentmihalyi asks, do we find such faith at the twilight of the second millennium, when traditional religions have lost much of their force and relevance, when the prospects of genetic engineering and atomic annihilation present us with profound moral dilemmas? The answer, he believes, is in evolution, for only by understanding our evolutionary heritage - the genetic and cultural forces that have formed us - can we overcome it and achieve "the good life" by giving purpose and order to our futures. The key to this process is learning to develop complexity in our consciousness - to acquire many interests, abilities, and goals and to use them in such a way that they harmonize with and enhance one another. It is flow experiences, in fact, that are the source of complexity, not only for individuals, but ideally for society as a whole, for flow has provided the energyand direction for some of our most significant historical advances, from religious systems to technology. Ideally, flow can even guide us to transcendence, in which we not only live by the enriching principles of an evolutionary faith, but also learn to foster the potential inherent in the cosmos. The Evolving Self is, like its predecessor, Flow, a book as profound as it is practical, a genuinely inspiring and provocative challenge to its readers to reconsider their role in creating not only themselves, but also the future of the species.