THE ROLE Of FLOW AM) MOTIVATION

OPTIMAL EXPERIENCES AM EXERCISE

THE ROLE Of FLOW ^AM) MOTIVATION

VICKIE FLOOD

OPTIMAL EXPERIENCES AND EXERCISE ADHERENCE: THEROLEOF FLOW AND MOTIVATION

requirements for the degreeof

Thepurposcofthis study wasthree·fold: (I)to determine iftherc wus areIationship between nowexpcriencedby excrcise participants.motivationtoexcrcise.andexercise adherence: (2)to what extent isnow associatedwithexercise adherence; and (3) whatare the difTerences(ifany)in flowexperienccdand motivation to exercise amongactivc vcrsusless active exercise participants.The study uscd a cross-scctionalquantitativc survey design. ApurposivesamplingtechniquewususcdtorecruitlOOindividua)swho participated invariousphysical activityprograms withinSt.John·s.L(Maw=27.8;

80%female). Excrciseadhercnccwusmeasured usingthe Spons PhysicalActivityIndex (SponsPA)oftheBaeckeQuestionnaireofHabituall)hysicaIActivity.Predictor variablesincluded flowexpericncedduringexercisepanicipalion(Dispositional Flow Scalc-2) and motivation to exercise (MotivesforPhysicalAClivitiesMeasure-Revised) Resultsdetermined that flow did nothave a slrongrclationshipwith physicalactivity adherence.Future researchsuggestsexaminingothervariablessuchascfficacyforflow andgoalorientntions.Asthisstudywasexploratoryinnalure.itissuggcstedthatthis studybc replicated andexpanded toexamine athletesin highly compelilivesiluatiolls

Menander(342-29IBC)oncesaidthat'·byassociatingwithwisepcoplc.youwill becomewiseyourself.,.Iwouidliketo extendmysincerethanks10thefoilowingpeople who.withouttheirheip,lhisthesiscouldnothavebeenpossible.ltirstandforemost wouldlike IOlhank mysupervisor.Dr.AngeiaLoucks·Alkinsonforherguidance throughoutthe years.Dr.Loucks-Atkinson (akaDr.Angela).Icannot express my gratitude enoughtoyou.From myyears asan undergraduate toaMastersstudent. you werc alwaysthereto help mewith whatever Ineeded helpwith. Fromwrilingliterature reviews toconducting statisticalanalyses,Icouldnothave askedforamore knowledgeablcsupervisor.Iwillforeverrcmember you as one ofthemostinfluential professors in my academic career.Secondly.Iwould liketothank Or.Basil Kavanagh forhisknowlcdgeandwisdomthroughouttheyears.Dr.Kavanagh, yourdedicationand passiontoleachingSportPsychologyhelped mebettcrunderstand thcmanY psychologicaltheories.Youhelpcdmcbetterundcrstandthetheoriesbyencouragingme toapplyexpcrienccsof whenIwasatcnnisplayertocomprehendthetheories.Icanoniy hopethatoncdayIcanbe asknowledgeable asyou inSportPsychology!Lastly,(but certainlynot least).Iwould liketothankmyparents (BrendaandJohn), sister(Katie) and boyfriend(Mike)for theircontinued supportthroughout myacadcmiccareer.Mike.

thankyoufor supportingme throughout mythesis. \Vhetherlhad a computerproblemor just neededtoventmyfrustrations. you werealways there forme.Tomyparents.thank youfor inslilling the conceptofhardworkin meat such a young age.Iwouldnotbe

whereIamtodayifitweren'tforyou.Katie,thankyouforyourhelp duringthis process Yourwillingness anddedication10helpwas greatlyapprecialed. Thankyou toall!

Behavi:~~.2TheoryofReasonedAction andTheoryofPlanned

2.8.1 Experience Sampling Method

2.8.3Privette Experience Queslionnaire 2.8.4DispositionalFlowScale

2.11Significance oftheStudy

3.2Participants,SamplingandDataCollection

ReporlingofFlowandMolivation

5.4Re1ationshipBetweenPhysicalAClivityParticipation.Flow

5.4.1 Flowand SportiPhysical Activity Participation 5.4.2MotivationandSportlPhysicaIActivityParticipation100 5.4.3 ExtentofFlow's Association withExercise Adherence

5.5TheExperience ofFlowandMotiv3tionAmong Active versus

5.5.2TheExperiences of Flow andMotivationAmong

:'i~\~ccommendationsforpractitionerslGUidelinestoAchieVing

5.8.1 EstablishingOrderinConsciousness 5.8.2MakingExtemalConditionsMatchOurGoal 5.8.3 ChangingourExperienceofExtcrnalConditionsand

TableIDescriptive Statistics forWork PhysicalAClivity Table 2 Descriptive Statisticsfor Leisure PhysicalAClivity Table 3 Descriptive Statistics ofDispositionalFlowScalc-2 Table 4DescriptiveStatislicsofMotivesforPhysicalActiviliesMeasure-RevisedScale TableS l-lierarchicalregressionanalysisofSport PAand Total Flow and controlling for socio-demographicsandmotivalion

Table6Hierarchicalregression analysis ofSport PAand the Challenge-SkillBalance dimensionof Flow controllingforsocio-demographicsand mOlivation Table7Hierarchical regression analysisof SportPAandtheMerging of Actionand Awareness dimension of Flowcontrollingforsocio-demographics andmOlivalion Table8Hierarchicalregression analysis of SportI>AandlheClearGoalsdimensionof Flow controllingforsocio-demographicsandmotivation

Table9HicrarchicairegressionanalysisofSportPAandiheUnambiguousFcedback dimensionofFlowconlrollingforsocio-demographicsandmotivalion Table10Hierarchical regression analysis ofSportPAandthe ConcentraliononIheTask

atI-land dimensionofFlowconlrollingforsocio-dcmographicsand motivation

TableII HierarchicalregressionanalysisofSportPAandthe SenscofTotalControl dimcnsionofFlowcontrollingforsocio-demographicsandmotivation Table12Hierarchicalregressionanalysis of SportPAandIhcLoss0fSelf- ConsciousnessdimensionofFlowconlrollingforsocio-demographicsandmotivalion Table13Hierarchical regressionanalysisofSportPAandtheTransfomlationofTime dimensionofFlow controllingforsocio-demographicsandmotivation Table14Hierarchicalregressionanalysis of SportPAandthe AUlolelicdimensionof Flow controlling forsocio-demographicsandmotivation

Table15Descriptive Statistics and T·TestsofActiveversusScdentaryExcrcise PanicipanlsintheReponingofFlow

Table16Descriptive Statistics and T-TestsofAcliveversus SedentaryExercise Panicipanrs in the Reponing of Motivaiion

2. SportPA=SportPhysicalAClivity

Exerciseadherence is one ofthemosthighlyresearchedandtalkedabouI phenomcnon's inexercise andheahhrelatedliteraturealike.Infact.manyresearchers such asDishman andMcAuley.tonamea fewhaveconductedmuch researchonthe exercise adherence processandfactoTS whichinOuenceadherence.Exerciseadherence hasadirect impacton ourlivesandour overallheahhasthere aremanyheallhbenefits associated with physicalexercise.Whilemoslpcople are cognizantofthebcnefilsof physicalaetivily. auemptingtoget sedentary individualstoeommence exercisingand activeindividualstomaintainexercisinghasprovento beproblematic (Dishman.1994) ObesityrateseontinuetoriseinCanada.withcwfoundlandrcportingthehighestlevels Infaci. withrespectto Canada in 2008asawhole.reportsofheightandweighlofI7.2%

ofCanadiansages18and olderwerec1assifiedasobese (Statistics Canada,2009) Additionally. from2003-2008, obesityamongmenand womcnincreasedfrom16.0%to 18.3%and 14.5%to16.2%respectively (StatisticsCanada.2009).Finally,inastudyof overwcightindividuals,58.6%ofmenand43.S%ofwomenwcrcatanincreased health riskduetotheir weight(StatisticsCanada,2009).AsobesityraIcS areacontinuing probleminsociely,itisimportantto delenninewhyindividualslive sedclltarylifestyles andexplorcthe correspondingmotivestowards exercise among physicallyaetive

Therearemany factors that candetennine one'sparticipation in physicalactivityand adhercncctoaparticularexercisercgime.Asmotivationalcharacteristics arc oneoflhe crucial dctenninantsin commencing orcontinuing aparticuiaraciivity.thestateofflow

totallyabsorbed in what oneis doing. tothe exclusion ofall otherthoughts and emotion (Jackson&Csikszentmihalyi.1999).Although exercise adherence.motivationandflow haveall beenstudicd extensively.there hasyettobea studythat hasexamincdallthree variables and theirrelationshipstoone anolher.FurthemlOrc.manytheorieshavebeen used tostudy exercise adherence such as the TranstheorelicalModelandProtcetion Motivation theory; however.flow has notbeen one ofthem.Ithasbeen suggested that highlymotivatedindividua!sexperiencehighinslancesoftheflowstate (Kowal&

Fortier,1999). Additionally. self-molivation was consistentlyfound tohaveapositive association with physicalactivity.DishmanandSallis(1994)and GroveandLewis (1996) reported thatparticipantsinvolvedinan exerciseprogram(i.e. circuittraining) did experienceflowand thattheflowstates generallyincreased astheexercisewas prolonged.!-Iowever,it isnotknown if arelationshipexistsamongnow.motivationand exerciseadherence.Therefore,this studyisuniqueinthat itseekstodeterminethe relalionshipsbelweenexerciseadherence.flowandmotivation.Theobjecliveisto examinethepossible instances of flow in thecourse ofexerciseparticipationinaddition

examinethese thrcc ractorsandtheirinterrelationships inorderloconcludcirinOuences

Spccifically.Jacksonetal. (l998)detenninedthatperceived abilityhad the most substantialcorrelations withOowwithregards toswimming. triathlon.cycling andtrack andfield.Furthennore.Csikszentmihalyi and Nakamura (1989) detenninedthat thereisa needrorthechallengesand skillstobe reasonablyhighpriorloexpcriencingaOow.like cxpcrience. Thererore. athletcswhohaveconfidence inIheirabilities shouldbe expected toexperience a chaJlenge/skillsbalance. althoughthe challenge ora panicularactivity maybehigh (Jacksonet aI., 1998).Bassiet al.(2003),in his studyto investigatethe qualityorcxpcrience andrisk perception associated with highahituderockclimbing.

detenninedthatOowwasthemostrrequcntlyreponcdcxperienceamongtherock c1imhcrsand GroveandLewis(1996)reponedthatparticipantsinvolvcdincircuit trainingdidexpcrienceOowand thaI theOowstatcsgencrallyincrcased asIhcexercise wasprolongcd.l-lowcvcr,thcrcislimilcdrcscarchexaminingtheefTeclorthestateor nowon adhering10a particularexcrcise regime.ThissllldywillallClllptto uncovcrthis areaasIbelievcthatone'smotivcsandpsychologicalslntcisdirccllyrclalcdtoour

Thefollowing chapterwilldiscuss variousfactorsofmotivationandits corresponding attributes, a range oftheoriesofexerciseadhcrence and adescriplionof thcthcory offlow.Areview ofthe literatureofthe previously mentioned factorsis then provided.Finally.therelationshipsamongstthesefactorswillbcdiscussed

Adhcringtoan exercise program posesmanydilemmasin Icmlsofdeveloping a heaithylifestyle.lnfact.researchhasdetermincdthatapproximatelyhalfofthe participantswhoenrollinasupervisedexerciseprogramwithdrawwithin6months (Dishman,1988).Reasons cited forthedisconlinuationofcxcrciseincilideinjury,lackof direction, unrealisticgoals,inabilitytoslowlyprogrcsswithinanexerciseprogram,lack of professionalguidance, lackofsupport(Downs&Hassenblas,2005),andllnrcal expectationswithregardstoweightloss(SlIlIivan,1998).ThcrearenllmerOllsfactors of

personal attriblltcs, environmentalfactorsandphysicalaClivity characteristics(Dishman, 1990).Withregardsto physicalactivitycharacleristics.DishmanandSallis (1994) discovered thatself-motivation, priorprogram participation.andsocialsupportfrom spouse andfamilywere consistently documented ashaving aposiliveassocialionwith physical activily.On theconlrary.perccivcdlackof time and perccivcdefTort demonstrateda negative association withphysicalactivily. Many ofIheabove reasons for

isJikelytobepresent insituationslhatpcnnitsatisfactionof the needsforautonomy and competence. Thesetypes of circumstances are characterized as beinginformational(Deci elal.,1980).Althoughpcrceivedcompctenceisessentialformotivation.perceived autonomyiscompuJsoryforintrinsicmotivation(Deci&Ryan,2000)

Therehave been manystudiesthathave showedlherelationship betweenintrinsic motivationandcompetence.For instance,researchhas supportedthe concept that autonomyisessentialto intrinsic motivationby showingthat0thereventssuchasthreats (Deci&Cascio,1972),surveiJlance(Leppcr&Greene,1975),evaJuation(l-Iarackiewicz etaJ.,1984),anddeadlines(Amabileetal.,1976)ledtoadecreaseinintrinsicmotivation (Deci&Ryan,2000).Inconlrast,providingchoice (Zuckerman et aI.,1978) and acknowledgingpeople'sinnerexperience(KoestneretaI.,1984)augments intrinsic motivationandincreasespeopJe'sconfidenceinthepcrformanceintheiractivities (TafarodietaJ.,1999).ThefolJowingsectionwiIJdiscllssanotherform ofmotivation

Extrinsicmotivationisanothcrimportanttypeofmolivationasit isdifficultto find an activitythatispurelyintrinsic.Extrinsicmotivationisdefined asbehavioursthat are consideredameanstoan end(Deciet aI.,2000).SimiJarly,itreferstotheperfonnanceof an activityinordertoattainsome separableoutcome(Deci&Ryan.2000).The primary

goalforextrinsicmotivation istogain awards and avoidpunishment.Extrinsic motivation has beenclassifiedintotwodifferenttypesofmotivation:self·detemlined extrinsicmotivation,which is whenan individual engagesinaparticular activity dlleto personal choice, andnon·self-delenninedextrinsicmotivation, which is present when an individllalplacespressureonthemselvesinordertoperformanactivityor whenthey believe theirbehaviours are controlledbyvarious externalfactors(Kowal&Fortier,

Varioustheorieshavebeenusedtopredictand explainexercise adherence Additionally,manyofthese theoriescontainthe construct ofmotivation.Theoriessuchas theTranstheoreticalModeLTheory ofReasoned Action andTheory0fPlanned Behaviour,Protection MotivationTheory,Social CognitiveTheory.ReversalTheory and theSelf.OeterminationTheoryhaveallbeenresearchedinconjunctionwithexercise adherence.The following section willthereforediscussthese theoriesandtheir

TheTranslheoreticaIModel(Prochaska&DiClemente,1983)suggests Ihatthe relativestrength ofintrinsicorextrinsicmotives toexercisehasbeenfound tochange acrossmanystages:thepreparationstage(individualisconsideringexerciseasa potentialactivity),tbeactionstage (exercisehasbeenperformcd for lessthan6months) andthemaintenancestage(exercisehasbeenperfonnedformorethan 6months)

(Prochaskactal..1983).lnlhepreparationandactionstages.cxtrinsicmotivesappcarto bcstrongerwhereas inthemaintenance stage.intrinsicmotives aremoreprominenl (IngledewetaI..1998).Peoplewhobegintoexcrcisebascdonextrinsicmotivationsare less likelyto continue withthe particu)aractivityif thisremains Ihesole mOlivator(Ryan etal..l997;WankcLI993).Althoughextrinsicmolivesarcessentialwhenoneis dcciding whelherornotto partakeinaparticularexercise regime.intrinsicmotivcsare

Thco'1'ofReasonedActionand Theory of Planned ehaviour

AccordingtoIheTheoryofReasonedAction(Ajzenclal..1980: Fishbeinet al..

1975). whatone'sintentions are(orarenot).olherwiscknownas behaviouralintcntions.

arc one of theprimary causes ofbehaviour.An individual"sbehaviouralintentiollsare therebyinOucncedby theirattitudesoftheparticularbehaviourandthcirevalualionof otherpeople'sopinions.Itisimportant toconsiderthesefactorsastheycan beimportant predictors ofbehaviour(Trafimow, 2009).Muchoftbistheoryconsists ofvarioustypes ofsalientbclicfswhicharedcfinedasbeliefswhicharcfirstthollghtofllponbeingasked anopcn-endedquestion(Suttonetal.. 2003). Salientbehaviouralbeliels (attitudes with regards to the potenlialconsequenceswhenpcrformingthe behaviollr)prcdictonc's

significantothers)aidindctcrrnining theirviewpoinlsofimportantindividualsand their motivationlocomplywiththeirideals(SultonctaI..2003).lnaddition.salientcontrol

paintings in theircompletcd fonnwerenotexpectedtogeneratcmueh,ifany,revenuc norwererewardspresent. Thercfore.whydid thc paintersexertsollluehcffortintotheir paintingsif theywouldreceivenextto nothing inretum?Whatwasmotivating thcse painters topaint?ThesequestionsplaguedCsikszentmihalyiashefclt thatallhuman behaviourshappened fora reason;no matter howeomplexthescbchavioursmightbc (Csikszentmihalyi&Csikszentmihalyi,1988)

Despitemuchofsoeietalresearchatthctimebeingdireetcdtowardsthe cxplanationofbehaviourintemlsofrcwardsorextcmalvalucs,AbrahamMaslow,a highlyacclaimed AmerieanPsychologist knownforhisdevelopmentofthcHierarehyof HumanNeeds,appearedtohavemadeabrcakthroughtothismystcry.Maslow'sresearch playcdonmuchof thehighly acclaimed conditionofintrinsicsitllations(self-rewarding)

limitations through intenseactivity andexperience.Althollgbthisprovidcdgreatinsight intowhythe paintcrscxperiencedsomuehenjoyment from painting,many questions werestillleft llnanswered:(I)Doallaetivitiescontainanintrinsiccomponent?: and (2)Is everyonc capable ofexpericncingintrinsic motivation?Whilethese questionsarc ambigllousinnature.itisdcarthatindividllalscreateenjoymentinandoftbeactivity

foundationofthedevelopmentofatheory,knownasllow(Csikszentmihalyi&

challenges),whicharematched withthe person'sown capacitiestoacl(orskills)"

(Csikszentmihalyi&LeFevre.1989,p.2).ConsequentlY,lhecomplctc opposite can occur.Ifyour skillsaregreater thanthe taskathand,boredomislikely tooccUfwhereas ifthetaskathandexceedsyoUfskillsorcapabilitics,anxictyislikelytooccur.lnbothof these cases,performance isexpcclcd todecrease (Weinberg &Gould.2003) SpccificaIly,individuals shouldpartake in aClivities that arebest suitedtolheirown capabilities.Forexample,ifa beginnerchessplayer (i.e.,lowskill)is placedina

expcrienceanxiety.Incontrast,ifanavidmolintainclimber(i.e.,highskill)climbsa mountainwithminimalchallengesinterms of incline and terrain(i.e.,low challenge)he orshcmayexpcrienceborcdom.However,ifanindividualparticipates inanactivity withchallengesthat match hisorher skill level(e.g.,beginnerchessplaycrparticipating ina beginnertournamentor avidmountainclimberclimbingMounlEvercst),the expcrienceismorelikclytofacilitatetheexperienceofnow(i.e.anoptimalexpericnce) Additional1y,ifapersonhasjuststartedtoplaytennis,ideallythefirst goalistolcarn howtoholdontoaracquet. As theirskills becomcmoredeveloped and theyhave

moveon. Consequently,attemptingtohittheball overthenetisalogicalprogrcssion However,ifonedoesnot knowhowto hold on toaracquet propcrlyandattemptstohit the ballover the net,anxietyorfrustrationis likely tooccllrasthereisanimbalanccof

likely tooccur.MonetaandCsikszentmihalyi (1996) statethat thctheoryofflow

aClivityandorperson-environmentinteractionneedtobeconsidered. Therearemany characteristicsconsistent withIhe theoryorflow. Thesecharacteristicsincludcl)A bulanceof Challenge und Skills,2) Complete Absorption in theActivity,3)ALossof se1f·Consciousness. 4) ClearGoalsand UnambiguousFcedback,5)Concentration onthe TaskutHand. 6) SenscofControl,7) MergingofAclionand Awareness.8) Autolelic experience and 9)Transfonnalionof Timeand EffortlessMovcment.Speeifically,these

activity.Thefollowingsection will discuss thesecharactcristics

participation.anythingextemalto Iheactivity does notseemto matterandisconsidered irrelevant, compleleabsorption isapparenl. Thisis known asCompleteAbsorplionillIhe AClivily.Specifically,thcindividualiscompletelyabsorbcdinlheactivityandisonly concemed with Ihepresenlcomponenls ofthe activityitself. Forexample,an individual whoisplaying violinat aconcertmay becomeso absorbedin theactivitythatlheyare unawareofthe audienceto tbe pointof being surpriscd whentheaudienceapplauds attbe endoftbemusical piece. Additionally,tbeindividualwhohasjustlearnedtoplaytennis mayenjoythegame somuch tbat thcyare oblivious to the ncarby noiseofconstruction

orothersoundsdue to thiscompleteinvolvement. Thischaracterislicisimportant for

withoutthe fear ofanydistractions. Consequently,itisIheseactivities thatproduce immenseamounls of enjoyment(Weinberg&Gould, 2003)

Duringtheactivily, concernfor lhese1fdisappearsduring flowasthe person becomesone with theactivily.Thisis knownastheLosso/SeIfConsco sf ess Specifically,thereisnodifTerentiationbelweenthe personpartieipalingin theaClivity or theactivity itself. Theabsence ofpreoccupation withtheselfdoesnolmean tbe individualisunaware of whatis happening in theirmindor body.butratherthe individualisnotfocusingontheinformalion n nllallyusedto representtooneself who oneis(Jackson&Marsh,1996);the individual ismerely concernedwith the activitythcy areparticipatingin.Forexample,thetennisplayermay becomesoimmersedinlhe activity that they feelas thoughtheirracquet hasbecomean extensionoftheirownbody Thischaractcristicisimportant forexerciseadherenccinthatparticipatinginanactivity

wholenewjoumey ofself-discoveryas we becomeimmersed inthis deep psychological condition(Csikszentmihalyi,1990),Throughthisinvolvement,wearecapableof reachingneededdepthsaswediscoverourselvesfurther

Whileparticipatingin activities,individuals developsuchasenseofcontrolthat theyarenotactively aware of control(notthinkingabout lhecontrolpresentorlackof conlrol) norarethey concemedwilhlackingcontrol. This is knownasSenseo/Conlro!

Thethoughlofaccomplishmentorfailureisnotpresentandindividualsaremerely concernedwiththeparticipationintheaClivity.Asenseofexercisingcontrolis experienced, withouttheperson activeiy trying toexertcontrol(Jackson&Marsh,1996) Forexample,the tennis piayerisnotconcerned withtheiropponentbutratherisjusl focusedonhiningthe ball in the desiredspol.Thischaracterislicisimportantfor exercise

merelyenjoyingparticipation.Itis theabiiitytodevelopasense of controlinactivities thatislikelytoresultinsuperiorperformancesandpermilindividualstobelieve thatthey

Whilecomplctelyabsorbedintheactivity.theindividualisawareoftheirown

Awareness.Involvementbecomessodeep thatit becomes spontaneousorautomatic (Jackson & Marsh,1996).Itisa typeof subconsciousfeelingthatif it is madeconscious candisrupt the experienceas thoughtsbecomediverted away from thetask athand. For example,whenthetennisplayerisplayingtennis,theydonotneedloconsciouslythink abouthow to hit the ballasit appearstobeanatural process.Thischaracleristicis importantforexerciseadherence in thatindividuals arenotpreoccupiedwiththeir technique or form inanaClivity andaremerely participating.Itisat thispointwhere the absorptionis soprominentthat actionsin theactivity appearto bespontaneous andthey no longerviewthemselves as separatefromtheactionstheyareperforming (Csikszentmihalyi,1990;Weinberg&Gould,2003)

in the amount oftimespent inthe activity.ThisisknownasTran formalionofTimeand

for two hourswhenin facl theywereonly scheduledto play foranhour.This

longer inan activityasopposedto watchingtheclockfor thetimepass by

Completcconcentration iscriticalwhileexperiencingflow.Thisis knownas

irrelevanttothetaskisnotprocessed,leavingonlyinformationrelevantto the taskat handtobeaddresscd.ConsequentIY,totalconcentrationisoneofthemostfrequently

isespecially important inorder toeffectively completeanactivity.Forexample,the

lheactivity,such asthespeclators.Thischaracterislicis importantforexercise adherence inthatitpermitstheindividual to fullyfocusontheaclivityinwhichtheyare participatingand to dismisseverything exlemal to it.Itisthestrllcturethat this

theypossess particular traits.Specifically,the autotelicexperience(orpersonality)

consistsofa group oftraits which arethought10facilitateintrinsicmolivationin particular activities. Additionally,the autoteliclraitencompasses concentrationabilities, autonomy,self~confidence,an internal locus oncontrol,a focus on process and challenge

autotelictraitalsotend tobeinternallydrivenand tbereforeparticipateinactivitiesfor intrinsic reasons.Additionally,individuals wbopossesstheautotelictrait may bemore likelytoremain involved inexercisedue totheir intrinsicmotivation

Aspreviouslydiscussed duringtheIlow experience,theperson perceivesa balance betweenthechallenges ofasituation andone's skills,with bothconstructs operating atapersonallyhigh level(Jackson&Marsh,1996). Thisis knownas Challel1ge~SkilllJalance.Csikszenlmihalyi andCsikszentmihalyi(1988)describethis characteristic asoccurringwhen a person's skillisat just therightlevelto cope with the situational demands. Conscquently,individuals who donOIpossessthe appropriate skills fortheactivity chosenwill likelydeem the activitymeaningless andwhenan individual's skill levelsurpassestheactivitythat they are engaged in,theirselfandtheirpotential cannotberealized. Additionally,thisis alsotruewhen thecharacteristicsofanactivity surpasstheindividual's skilllevel. Toclarify,one can assumethatthere arechallenge~

skiliquadrants(SeeFigurel).Theverticallinerepresentschallengesand thehorizontal linerepresents skills. Thetop right quadrant representstheIlow state.thetop left

quadrant represents anxiety. the bottom right quadrantrcprescntsborcdomandthe botlomleftquadrantrepresentsapathy.lnactivitieswhcrcthechallcngeortheactivityis high andsoare Ihcskillsor the individual.we experiencc a sensc orwell·beingsuch as tlow. Kecping inlinewith Ihe previousexample.Ict usassumethaian individualhasjust Icamedhow to hit Ihe tennis balloverthe net.Afterpracticing thisskiIIarewtimes. heor shemayprogresstoauemptingtohiltheballo\'erthenclfivctimesinarow and so on.

Sincethisactivityiscomparablewithhjsorherskilllevcl.thcindividualislikelyto experienccflow.lnactivitieswherethechallengeortheactivilyishighandlheskillsor the individual are low.anxietyislikelytooccur. Evcnthough theindividualhas just learned10hit the balloverlhenet. anemptingto putdifTercnt kindsorspinson the ball maybequitedifficultror the playerandthe individual would likclybecomerrustrated and expcrience anxicty.in activitieswherethe challengeorthc activityislow and the skillsarehigh,borcdomislikclytooccur.SinccthctcnnisplayerhasIcamedtohitthe ball ovcrthcnet.Icaming how toholdon toaracquctagainwould bc boringsincethey havcalreadymasteredthat task.Additionally,insituationswhereneither skillsnor challcngesareprcscnttoasignificantlevel,areelingorlowcnergyIcvclsand apathyis

likclypresentandflow isnotexpectedto occur(Jackson&Csikszcntmihalyi,1999.p

37).Thischaracteristicisimportantrorexerciseadhcrenceinthatthe challengeorthe activity in whichanindividualis participating inmustcorrcspondwiththeskillievelthe individualpossessesinorderroratlowexpericncetooccur.ltiswhcnthe balanceor challengcsandskillsareatanequilibriumthatindividualsarehappicstandtlow experiencesareimminent(Csikszemmihaiyi.1990:Wcinbcrg&Gould.2003).l-Iowever.

although alow challenge andlowskillsituation can create anowexperience,a true now likeexperienceisevidenlwhentbereisamatchbelweenhighchallengeandhighskill involved. Thischaracterisliccan be appliedtoexercise adherencein thaIindividualsmay adheremoretoexercise whenthey expericncenow during thcseactivities,andnowis more likelytooccurinactivities whichmeet individuals currentskilllevel

Ch;\Ue-ngt"

High

£~~--- _ _ _ _ _Skill'

High

(Figureadaptedfrom Weinberg&Gould,2003 reprintcdfrom Kimiecik&Stein,1992)

charactcristiccanocappliedtoexerciseadherenceinthalindividualsfrequcnllycstablish

_ _ J

1996).Therefore, it iscritical todevelopatype of analysiswhich canaccurately llleasure llowanditsattributes.Althoughllowisasubjectivestate.manystlldieshaveemployeda quantitativemethodofmeasurementinordertoavoidlilllitationslhat are presentduring qualitativc rcsearchsuchas therelrospcctivenature ofinterviews (KarageorghisctaI., 2002). Amongthe lllostcommonlyusedquantitativc instrumenlsaretheExpericnce SamplingMethod(developedby Csikszentmihalyi.Larson.&Prescott,1977;

Csikszentmihalyi&Larson. 1987;1-lonnuth,1986;Larson&Csikszentlllihalyi.1983 (Csikszentmihalyi&LeFevre,1989),theFlowSlateScale(developedbyJaeksonand Marsh in1996),thePrivelte Experience Questionnaire(developedbyBundrick,Privette

&Thorntonin1999)andthe DispositionalFlow Scale (developedbyFord. Jackson,

TheExperienceSamplingMethod(Csikszentmihalyi,Larson&Prescott,1977)is allleansforcollectinginformationaboutbolhthecontexiandconlentofthe dailylifeof individuals (Csikszenlmihatyietal.. 2007).InastudythatemploystheExperienee SamplingMethod,participantscarryanelectronicpagerandExperienceSampling

Questionnaire booklet.Signals are senttoIhepagersalrandomtimesthroughoultheday andparticipantsareinstrucled toimmediatelyfilloutasection0fthequestionnaire pertainingtothe physicalcontext, socialcontext, activitiesandthoughtsand feelings

Thismethodologyhasbeen usedinseveralstudies exploringtheroIe offlowin sport (e.g.,Fave&Massimini,2003;Danielsetal.,1995). Forexample,Danielsetal..

(1995) conducled a sludy10investigatetheuse oftheExperience Sampling Methodto measurenowamongstudents enrolledinbasketballactivities.Duringanine week period,aresearchassistantwouldenterthegymnasiumonce a week andinlcrruplactivity todislribute theExperience SamplingMethod questionnairestoparticipants.Upon completion ofthe questionnaires,participantsrcsumedtheir activity.Resultsconcluded

students perceivedthcflow contextto be the mostenjoyable

Addilionally,BassietaJ.,(2003)conductedasludytoinvestigatethequalityof experienceand riskperception associated withhigh-altituderock climbingby meansof theExperience Sampling Methodamongsixmale rockclimbers. Eachclimbercarriedan electronicpager thatsentrandomsignalslive timesadayforawcek. Uponbeing signalcd,c1imberswereaskedlolillouta sectionofthc Experience SamplingMcthod questionnaire whichaskedquestionssuch as"What wereyoudoing?"and·'Please dcscribehowyoufeltwhenyouwerebeeped."Resultsconciudedthatciimbingprovided a potentialsource offlow andnow-likestalcs.Infact,flowwasthemostfrequently

reported expcrience amongthe rock climbers.Additionally, accordinglo theliteratureon theExperience SamplingMethodliteraturebyCsikszentmihalyiandLarson (1977),five signalsa day fora standardoneweek sessionareefTectiveinportraying participantsdaily

The FlowState Scaleprovidesaquantitativemeasurementof the eight dimensions of now outlined byCsikszentmihalyi(1990)insportandphysicalactivily settings.The36iteminstrumentfonnseightsub-scales whichrepresent thedimensions ofnow. The dimensionsmeasuredinclude:I)Challenge-Skill Balance,2)Mergingof Actionand Awareness 3) ClearGoalsandUnambiguousFeedback, 4)Concenlrationon TaskalHand,5) SenseofControl,6)Lossof Self-Consciousness, 7) Transfonnalionof Timeand8)Complete Absorptionin theActivity. Statemenlsweredeveloped basedon theeightdimensionsofnow(e.g. "Iwas challenged,butIbelievedmyskillswouldallow me to meetIhechallenge"(Challenge-SkillBalance)) andrespondentsindicatethe extent to whichtheyagree witheach statementona 5-poinl LikertScale(l="strongly disagree"

and5="stronglyagree"). According to Jacksonand Marsh (1996),The FlowState Scale has receivedinitialpsychomctricsupportthrough confinnaloryfactor analyses, which confirmedthehypothesizednine-factorstructure,Supportwasalsademonstratedfora higher-order globalfactor;howeverthe fitofthe datawas slightlybetterforthenine-

Addilionally,Jacksonet al.(1998)conducled a studytoexaminepossible psychologicalcorrelatesofflowinasampleof398 athletespartakingina World Masters Gamesopen to allperformerswithnoqualifying standards.Therefore,theskilllevel variedgreatlyassomeparticipantswereworld-rankedcompetitors whileothers viewed themselves as recreationalparticipants.Theparticipanlsforthisstudy were selectedfrom fourmainsports:1)swimming,2)triathlon,3)cycling and 4) track and field.Inaddition to usingtheFlow State Scaletoassessthe athleles,theTraitFlowScale,based on Jackson and Marsh's Flow State Scale which is designed to assess the traitcomponent of flow,wasusedduringthis sludy.Specifically,the Trait Flow Scaleassessesthe frequencywilhwhich respondentsreportexperiencingflowingeneralduring sport participation. Resultsconcluded thaIrelationships exislbetweenflow and perceived sport ability,anxiety, and anintrinsicmotivalionvariable

peakperformance,defined operationallyas"functioningatyourbesI"(Bundrick et a1..

1999,p.5&Privette.1999).Thisquestionnairecontains47descriptiveitems/questionsin aLikert-typeformat.Inaddition.thequestionnairewas developed bascd onunstruclured self-reportsandliterature concemingpeakexperiencc,peak performanceandnow.Thc Privctte Experience Questionnairehas beenusedillseveral stlldies examiningthe experienceof flow. Forexample,Groveand Lewis(1996) conduclcdasludy toexamine

the hypnoticsusceptibility andpriorexperienccas correlates0fflow·likestatesduring exercisebymeans ofthcPrivetteExpericnceQucstionnaireamong96participantswho rcgularlyattendedcircuittraining classes at auniversitygymnasiul1l. A subset often itcmswas derivedfromthePrivette ExpericnceQuestionnaireinorderto assess theflow- like states.Participantscompletedthc tenitemflowqucstionnaireontwodiffercnt occasions astheymovedloothercxercises.Participants weretheninstructed toassess theirhcart rateeach timetheyanswereddimcnsions ofthe flowseale.Resultsconcluded thatflow-likestateswereapparcntduringcircliittraining.Psychometricstudics (Privelte

&Bundrick,1987) supportedreliabilityand constructvalidity andprovidedan

ThcDispositionalFlowScalemeasuresaparticularindividual'sdispositional propensityto experienceflow(Boric,2005&Jackson&Marsh,1996).hconsists of36 itemsbasedontheeight dimcnsions offlow citedbyCsikszentmihalyi(1990)tomeasure thefrequencyin whichindividualsdistingllish experiencesinflowinaparticularactivity The DispositionalFlow Scaleisbasedona previousvalidation0fJacksonandMarsh's (1996) Flow State Scale which measuresflowexpericnces in a partieularactivity.ltcms ontheDispositionalFlowScalcarebasedona5-pointLikertScale varyingfrom"I"

(never)to "5" (always).An example ofaquestion assessingChallengc-SkillBalanceisas follows: "Iam challengedbutIbelicvemyskills willallowme to meet thechallenge"

Additionally, eachsubscale ismeasuredby four items(Jackson etaLI998).Wanneret aI.,(2006) conductcdastudytoexamine whetherflowanddissociationwcreexpericnced acrosssports,recreational and palhologicalgamblingin asampIcof511collcgesludcIlls

concluded thatdescribingflowisa relational performance which requires the use of

Flow and motivation have long beensludied together.As both are crucial

participantsversus sedentaryparticipants

TransformalionofTime wereless sensitivctodiITerenl typesofsiluationalmotivation (motivation levels reported during a specificsiluation)incomparisontothe other flow characteristicsmost likclyduc totheindislinclness (orcomprehensiondifficultics) oflhe

Rcscarchindicatcsthatindividualsoftenexpcricnceflowwhileparticipalingin sportand physicalrecreationalactivities.Theexpcrience offlowhas been found tobe present inseveralsportand physical recreationcontexts includingnetball(Fryeretal..

2002). swimming (Forticr&Kowal. 1999),basketball(Danielselal..1995). climbing (Bassietal.,2oo3).circuiltraining(Grovc&Lewis.1996),sportsattheWorldMasters Games(FordetaL,1998)andcanoeing(Sparkcs&Partington.2003).Forexample.

Fordctal.,(1998)concludedthalperccivedsportabilityhadthcmostsubstanlial correlatiollswilhflow.Moreover.Bassietal,(2003)concludedthatclimbingprovided a grcatpotentialsourceforoptimalexpcrience.alldinturn,flow.Spccifically,theflow statewasamongthemost commonlyreportedstatesamongtheclimbers duringlhe expcdilion.GroveandLcwis(1996)reportcdthalparticipantsinvolvedincircuitIraining didexpcrienccflow andthat theflow states generallyincreasedasthc exercise was prolonged.Particularly.participants whohad morelhansixmonths of circuit training reportcdthemostflow-like experiences.Finally. Sparkes andPartington(2003) concludcdthatflowexpcrienceswereimminentamongthecanocrsandthatdescribing

flowisarelationalpcrformance.whichisprimarilyshapcdbystorytellingofthe participants.Howcvcr.themain purposc ofthcsc studies wasnottodeterminewhcther participantsexperiencedflow whilcparticipatingin the sport orphysicalrecreation activity.buttodetennineprcdictorsandcorrelates offlow

Withinthecontext offlowand sport.researchhas primarilyfocuscd onthc determinantsofthcnowexpericncc.Forexample.sportpsychologistshavcbeen interestedinstudyingintervcntions that may increasc theexpericnce ofnow.and subsequentlyperformance. Forexample.FTyeretal..(2002)concludcdthatmusic intcrventions inducedthenow state among somenetball players.I-Iowever.flowstates werenota!waysconsistentwithchangcsinperformance.1everthclcss.nowwaspresent amongtheplayers followingthemusicintervention. Various psychologicaldeterminants

associatedwithmotivation theoriesincludingintrinsicmotivation,pcrceivcdability. and enjoymenLlnForticrandKowal's(1999)study.thcyroundthatswimmerswho participatedintheir activity for their own benelitcxpcricncedthehighestamount of

pcrccivcdsportabilityhadthe mostsubstantialcorrelationswith now.Finally.Dallielsct aI.,(1995) concludedthat thebasketball playersfoundthenow contexttobcthemost enjoyableandtheyreported having themostcontrolinthenowstatc

Somercsearchsuggeststhatindividuals aremorelikelytoexpcriencenowwhile participatinginsports andrecreationcomparedtoothertypcsofactivitiesthatrequire

less skillandchallenge.Forexample.a study conduclcd byDelespaulelal..(2004) explored thccontextualandsubjectivedeterminants oroowwith rcgardsto activation in studying,andcomparedthiswithsportsandwatchinglelcvisionorlistening10thcradio Forty-t.hrceundcrgraduatesludentscompletcdlheExpcrienccSamplingMethod qucstionnaireandalvariousmomcntslOtimesaday.studentscvalualcd thc social

higheslactivation levels andlowestactivalionwasassociatcd withpassivcIcisure when

but lowinpcrceivedskills,sports was challenging andunrelatcdto skills andwatching televisionorlistcning totheradio waslowinchallengesbUi high inskills.Therefore. the charactcrislicsofcngagingin an activily arcintricate andarcrclatcdlocontcmporaneous emolions andconlcxt. Despite the body ofrescarchexamininglhecxpcrienceofOowin sports and recreation,therehasbeen noresearchthathasapplicdIhcthcoryofOowinan

ThcpreviouslitcraturereviewhasprovidedmuchinfoOllationonvariouslheories ofexcrciseadhcrcncc,faclors of motivation and thcIhcoryofOow. Althoughit is evident that motivationplays a vital rolein cxercise adhcrencc.lhcrchas ycttobea studyto dctcrminetherelationshipbetweenexerciseadherence.motivalionandOow.As prcviouslystated.ithasbcensuggcstedthalhighlymotivalcdindividuals experiencehigh

consistentlyfoundtohave a positivcassociatiollwith physicalactivity (Dishman&

Thisstudyattcmpted todetemline if relationshipsexistedamongexcrciscadherence.

(I)Isthere arelationshipbetween nowexperiencedby exerciseparticipants.motivation 10exercise,andexerciscadherence?;(2)To whatextcnt is flow associatedwitbexercise adherence?; and(3)What arethe difTerenccs(ifany)in flowexperienced and mOlivation

Participants in thisstudyconsistcd of(1)individuals whoweremembersof variousfitness andrecreation complexesandgroupsthroughoutSJohn'sand(2) studentsattending MemorialUniversity. Theaim wasto recruit individllalswithavariety ofphysicalactivitylevels rangingfrombeingphysically inactivelobeingveryphysically active. In orderto beeligible to participate intbis study.participantshadtobe19yearsof age or older. Apurposivesamplingtechnique,in whicban expertllses jlldgmentin selcctingcaseswith a specificpllrpose in mind,was employedto coIlectdatafrom participants invariousrecreation complexesthroughoul St.John'sas wellas students auendingMemoriaIUniversity(Neuman,2007,p.142).Theintentwas10accumulate

approximately 100 participanlsfor thisstudy.Torecruit participantsfromfitnessand recreationcomplexes andgroups.Icontactedthecomplexandgroups to request pennissiontodistribute questionnaires. When permission wasobtained,lthendistributed

interestedincompletingthesurveyPanicif,antshadtheOlpponu",itytoeitherl)

regardingfactors of exerciseadherence.Additionally.partieipants completed a questionnairecontaining socio-demographicinformation

Age,dateofbirth,gender. education,incomeand employmentstatuswerethesocio·

demographicvariablesin thisstudy. Exerciseadherence wasthedependent variable in theproposedstudy,definedastheabilityanddedicationanindividualbasinadhcringto aparticularexerciseregime.AccordingtothePublicl-leahhAgencyof Canada (201I).

adulls(ageI8-64)shouldbeactive2.5hoursaweektoachieveheahhbenefits. Exercise adberence, conceptualizedaslevclofphysicalactivity,wasmeasuredusing the Baecke Questionnaireofl-labitualPhysicalAetivity(Baeckectal.,1982).Thisquestionnaire consists of16questions tbatseparatesphysical activityinto 3distinctdomains:(1) Work PhysicalActivity (WorkPA).(2)SportPhysical Activity(SportPA)and(3)Non-sports leisure(LeisurePA).Participantsareaskedtorespondtostatemcntsusing a 5·point Likert·type scale;with theexceptionofa couple of statements relatedtotypesofsports played.TheWorkPAdomainconsistsof8slatements:l)oncstatementisrelatedto main occupationas categorizedby amountof physical activity associated witbthe occupation(l=lowactivityoccupationssuchasstudyingandofficework;5=high activityoccupations suchasconstructionwork);and2) seven stalcmentsrelated to frequency of sitting, standing,walking,liftingand sweatingduringhoursofwork.A

rangefromlt05.TheSportPAdomainconsistsoffourselsofqueslionSrelated 10 participationinsport.Thesetofqueslionsfonnoneitcmoflheindcx.Participantsarc firstaskcdwhetherornottheyplayasport.lftheparticipantdocsplayasport. then they areaskedtoindicate theirtwomostfrequently playedsports (opcn-endcdquestion),thc amountoftime pcr week thaIthe Sports areplayed«1hour(weightcd score0fO.5).1-2 hours (weightcdscore of1.5). 2-3 hours(wcightcdscoreof2.5). 3-4hours(weighted scoreof3.5),>4hours (weightedscore of4.5)and lhe proportion of the yearinwhichthe sportsareplayedregularly«lmonth(weighlcdscoreofO.04).1-3months(wcightcd score of0.17). 4-6months (wcightedscoreof0.42). 7-9months(weighlcdscoreofO.67).

>9 months(weightcdscorcofO.92).Basedonthetypcofsportindicatcd.therescarch

detcmlincsthe intensity ofsportin tennsof average energyexpcnditurc(BaeckcctaJ..

cxpcnditureofO.76MJIh(e.g.,bowling,goll);2)middlcintcnsilysports withan average cncrgyexpcndilureofl.26MJIh(e.g..dancing. badminton, swimming. tennis);and 3) high inlcnsity sportswithan average energy expenditure of1.76MJIh(e.g.,basketball.

rowing,rugby). Asportintensityitem is then calculatedbasedon summingthcproduct oftheintensily.time,andproportionquestionsforbolhsportS.Sllbseqllcntly. this is then translaledintoa5-pointLikertscore(2:12=5;8to<12=4;4to<8=3.0.0Ito<4=

2;0=1).Next,participantsare askedto respond 10 three stalcmcnts:1)"lneomparison 10othersmyown ageI think my physicalactivity duringleisurc is.. :'(I=MlIchlcss;5

=Muchmore);2)"OuringleisuretimeIswea (1=never.5=veryoftcn); and 3)

"Ouring leisuretime 1playsports"(I=never.5::very often). A SportPAindex is

calculatedasamean scoreamong these4ilemsand lhus scores can rangerromlt05 LeisurePAdealswithquestionswith regardstomodeortransportation10 schooland work. andrrequcncyoftelevision watching.walkingandcycling. ALeisurePA indexis calculated as ameanscore amongthese 4 itemsandthusscores canrange rromlt05.A total physicaiactivity scoreiscalcuialed as the sum score orthe threeindicesthus allowing atotalscore rromthree(minimum)tofifteen(maximum). AccordingtoHertogh etal. (2008).lhevalidity ofthe Modified Baecke Qucstionnairc isfair-t rmoderate.1t was also detenninedthat the questionnairecan correctly dassifyindividualsaslowor high active.but docsa poor jobfor moderatelyactiveindividuals.The construct validity of thequestionnaire hasbeen assessedin comparison todoublylabeled water. which is consideredthegoldstandardmeasurein temlSofenergy expenditurethetotalactivity index oftheBaecke yieldedcorrelationcocfficienls of.68 againsldoublylabelledwmcr (Philippacrtsetal.,2001).Olhcrinvestigatorshavealsofoundgoodconstruct validityfor theBaeckc whencomparcd 10thedoublylabcledwatertcchniquc(p=0.54;Hertoghct aI..2008).ThescalehasproventohavegoodtcsHctcstrcliability;indicalinggood rcpcntnbililyaftcr5andIImonthsamong men andwomenagcd 20-70years(Polsctal..

1995).Tcst-rclcslcorrelationcoefficientsrangedbclween.65and.89,andrclative validitywaslcslcdbycomparingthcqucstionnaircloafollrtimcsrepcated3-dayactivity diarywilhcorrclations of.56amongmenand.44among womcn olsetal..1995)

Flow and motivationweretheindepcndentvariabiesin thisstudy.Flowisdefinedas a very positivepsychologicalstatethattypically occurs when apcrsonpcrceivesa balancebetween the challenges associated with a situation andhisorhercapabilitiesto

accomplishormeetthesedemands(Csikszenlmihalyi,1990).JacksonandMarsh(1996) dcvelopedtheFlowStateScalewhichmeasurespeoplc'slevelofflowinaspecific activity.TheFlowTraitScale (Jackson etal.. 1998)wasdevelopedasaparallel trait version ofthisstateinstrument. The theoryofflowstatesthat theautotelicpersonality can explain why some peopleare more likely toexperienceflowthan others. Thusthe FlowTrait Scale wasdeveloped using thesame itemsthatarc reworded to assess participant'sdispositionalassessment ofthedimensions offlow inrelationtotheir general experiences ratherthananassessment offlowin rclation toaspecificexperience ThcFlowTraitScalewassubsequentlyrenamedthcDispositionalFlowScaIe Modificationswerc made to thisoriginal version in order to improvelhemeasurcmentof some oftheflowdimensionsresulting inthe currentversioncallcdtheDispositional Flow Scale-2 (Jacksonct aI..2002).This scale consistsof36itcmsbascdontheninc dimcnsionsofflowcitcdbyCsikszentmihalyi(1990)tomcasurcthefrequencyof flow expcriencesina chosenphysical activityand ingeneral.Itcol1sist5ofnincsllbscales Challengc·SkillBalance(e.g.:·'lamchallengedbutlbclievemy skillswillallowmeto mcetthechallenge",ClearGoals(e.g."IknowclcarlywhatIwantto do"),Unambiguous Fcedback(e.g.·'lamawareofhowwelllamperforming"),ScnseofControl(e.g."Ifeel in tolalcontrolofwhatI'mdoing"). AUlotelic(e.g."1lovethefeeling ofthai pcrfonnanceandwanttocaplureitagain"),McrgingofActionandAwarcncss(e.g Thingsseemtobchappeningautomatically").ConcentrationontheTaskatI-land(e.g.

"Myattentionis focusedentirely onwhat Iamdoing").Tmnsfomlation ofTime(e.g 'OThe waytime passes sccmstobedifferent from nonnal") andLossof Self-

Consciousness (e.g."Iamnot concernedwilhwhal othersmaybethinkingof me") Items areratedon a S-pointLikert Scale varyingfrom°T' (never)to"s"(always). with highervaluesindicalingmoreflow.Subscalesarecompuledbythe average ofthe four respeclive items.Atotal scale scoreis obtainedbysummingtheitcm-averagedill1ension scores.TheDispositionalFlowScale-2demonstratesgoodconstrllctvalidilyinlerll1sof itsfactor structureandacceplable internal consistency withalphalevelsonthesubscales rangingfrom.78to.92(Marsh&Jackson,1999;Jackson&Eklund,2002;Jackson etal.,

Intrinsicallyll10tivalcdactivities aredefined asaClivities thatindividuals find

intercstingandwouldparticipateintheabsenceofoperationallyseparable consequences (Deci&Ryan.2000). Contrarily,extrinsicl1lotivation is definedastheperformance ofa particularactivityinordertoaltainaseparableolltcome(Ryan&Deci,2000) Motivation tobephysicallyactive wasmeasuredusingthe MotivesforPhysical ActivitiesMeasure-Revised (Ryan etaI.,1997) whichdeterminesreasonsfor participating inparticular exerciseactivities.This scaleisarevisionoftheMotives for PhysicalActivityMeasure(Frederick&Ryan,1993)anditwasbased on pilottestingof items(factoranalysisandconstruclstudies) ontwodiffercntsamplcs.The scalcconsists of30ilcmswhicbfornlfivegeneralmotive sllbscalesforparticipationinanactivily

Inlcrest/Enjoyment(7items;e.g., "Makesmebappy"),Compctcnce(7ilemse.g.,"Like

physical challenges"),Appcarance(6 itemse.g.,"Todefine mllscles,look better"), Fitness(Sitems;e.g.. "Toimprovecardiovasclilarfitness")andSocial(5itemse.g.. °'To be withothers inactivily"). Eachofthese items is ratedon7-pointLikertscales.The

items range from"\"(notat all true forme)lo"T(verylruc forme)withhighcrscores indicatingahigherleveloftruthwiththespccific slatcmcnl.Sub-scalc scores are

and validityoflhe faclorsdemonstralcsaclearfactor structure ofthcscale items.intemal consislency(alphasabove.87foreachsubscale)anddifTerentia\relationswithboth choiceofsportlexercise aClivitiesandassociated outcomes (Frcdcrick&Ryan. \993:

All panicipantswere providcdwilhanidentificationcode (i.e..noidcmifying

andanalyzedinSPSSI7.0.First,dalawasscrccnedformissingandinvaliddalapoints.

andassumptiolls forperfonningparametrictcstswere tested.Descriptivestatistics were conducted onsocio-demographic andstudy variables.Next.correlationswcreconductcd 10determinebivariate andpartialcorrelationsbctweenexcrcise adhcrcncc,motivation.

andOow.Finally,ascriesofmulliplcrcgrcssionsandanalysisofvarianccmodelswere condllctcdinorderlodclcnnine\)lherelationbetwcennowcxperiencedbycxcrcise panicipants,motivatioJ1 toexercisc, and exerciseadherence,2)theextenttowhichOow is associated withexercise adherence, andJ)10identify difTercnccsinnowcxpcrienced and motivationto exercise amongactiveversus sedentaryparticipants

Thenatureofthisstudywasnon.thrcateningandposcdminimalrisktothe panieipantsinvolved.The dangerexisted inlhatasurveyqueslionmayhave triggered unpleasant memoriesand generalCdnegaliveemotionsfor lhe panicipanls.However.the queslionsposedlikelydidnotcauscanynegativefeelingsforlhepanieipanls.Duetothe factthatpanieipantsin this studywerercquired loeomplelcthreequestionnaires.the timedcdication mayhave resulted inastressfulresponsc. Althoughlhisstudydidnot poscmuchhann. italsodidnot posemany benefitseither.Duringthe complction of ccnainquestionnaires.panicipamsmayhave acquirednew infomlalionabouttheir panicipation inphysicalactivityand mayormaynOIhavechangcdtheirpanicipation habitsbasedonthisinfonnation.Sinceallpanicipantsinthis studywerel9+yearsof age.compclenee wasassumed.Additionally.panicipantsvoluntccrcd10complete a survey.Panicipanlswere alsotold thattheir panicipationwas voluntaryand thatifthey decidedtonotcompletethe questionnaires.therewereno repcrcussions,pcnaltyorhaml Participantswerepermitted towithdrawfrom lhc studyat anytime.In addition.

conl1dclltiality andanonymity of the participantsandtheir infonnationwasensured Participantswere alsotold that their informationwouldnolbeused foranyother purpose otherthan for thestudyandthattheirinfommtionwouldbekeptina lockedcabinet throughouttherescarchprocess.Uponcompletionofthe research.data willbcerased or

The followingchaptcrwilldiscusstheresultsofthcstudy.Sampledescriplives willbcdiscussedproceeded bycorrelalion resuhsofflow.physicalactivityand motivation.Regression rcsultsarepresenlcdwhich detcmlincdtheassocialionbctwecn

vanables.Finally.aseriesofindependentt-testsareprcsentedwhichdetermined diITcrcnccsinthccxperienceofflowandmotivationamongactivcvcrsu5lessactive

ThercwerclOO(n=100)participantsin this study who rangcdinagefrom19-58 (M=27.8;SD=9.05). Moreover.80%(n=80)werefcmalcand200Io(n=20)wcre ma]c.Sixly-cightpcrccnt(n=68) of participantsreportedbcingasllldcntwhile 30%(n

=30)wcrcnotstudcnts.Fif1y·sevcnperccnt(n 57) wcrc cmployedfulltime,32%(n= 32)wcrcemployedparttimc,8%(n=8)wcrcllncmploycd/homcmakcrandl%(n=l)

ahighschoolccrtificatcorcquivalcnt.38%(n=38)had somcpos ccondaryeducation (posi-secondary not complcted). 15%(n=15)hadaccrtilicatc ordiplomafroma communitycollege ortradeschool.34%(n=34)had auniversilydcgrecand9%(n=9) hadoblainedagraduatedcgrec.\Vithregardstoannualhouseholdincome.19%(n=19) ofparticipanlsreported lessthanSIO.OOO.14%(n=14)rcportcdStO.OOO·19.999.IOOIo(n

=10)reponedS20.000-29.000.4%(n=4)reponedS30.000-39,000.9%(n=9) reponed S40.000-49.ooo.6%(n=6)reponedSSO.000-S9.000.10%(n=10)reponedS60.000- 79.999.6%(n=6)reponedS80.OOO-99.999and18%(n=18)reponedoverSI00.000

Exercise adherence.conceprualizedaslevelofphysicaJactivity.asmeasurt.,--d using the Baecke QuestionnaireofHabitualPhysical Activity(Baecke.Burema&

Frijters.1982).ThisqueslionnaireconsistsofI6queslionsthatseperatesphysicalaClivity inlo3distinctdomains:(I)\VorkPhysicaIActivity(WorkPA).(2)SponPhysical AClivity(SportPA)and(3)on·sportsleisure (LeisurePA).TheWorkPAdomain

amounlofphysicalaClivityassociatedwiththeoccupation(l=lowaClivityoccupations such as studyingandoffice work;5=highactivityoccupationssuchasconstruction work).lnlcrmsofintensityofparticipants'occupation.91%(n=91)peoplewere classificdaslowintcnsily.8%(n=8)asmiddlcintcnsityandl%(n=l)peoplcwcrc classificdashighintcnsity.Additionally.scvenstatemcntsrclatedto frcqucncyofsitling.

st3nding, walking.liftingandsweating duringhOllrsof workwcrcprovided (secTable 1)

scorescanrangcfromlto5.Themeansof the WorkPA statcmcnlswereasfollows Wilhrcgardstothequestion"Whatis yourmainoccupalion?··.M=I.2.lntcmlsoflhe question"Alwork Isi....M=3.9.With respeci toIhequcstion"AIworklstand".M=

2.9.Wilhregards to the queslion"At workIwalk".M=3.0.Intcnnsofthequestion"AI workIliftheavyloads".M=2.0.With respect to thequestion"AfterworkIam tired",M

=2.9.In tennsofthequestion"AIworkIswea ',Ms2.0.Withrcgardstothequestion

"Incomparison ofothersofmyo\"n ageIthinkmy\\orkph)'sicalactivityismuch heavier.etc".

M=1.9.Thispopulationhadamean Work PAscoreofl.76(SD-.40: sl. \TW:SS=3.71;

2.kunoslS=2.19)indicatingthatas a whole.the respondents did not rcceivemuchphysical

Table I:Descriptive Statistics forWork PhysicalActivity

Atworklsita 3.9(.98) -4.48 2.26

Atworklstand^a 2.9(.99) 0.65 -1.01

AtworkIwalka 3.0(1.02) 0.73 -1.01

2.0(1.03) 4.51 1.62

2.9(1.03) -0.90 0.33

2.0(.91) 2.82 0.27

TheSportPAdomainconsistcdoffoursctsofqucstionsrclalcdtoparticipationin sportlphysicalactivity.incty-ninepercenl(n=99)people rcportcd participatingin sport. physicalactivityorexerciseincomparisontoI%(n=l)pcoplewhodidnot participatcinphysical activily. AccordingtotheBaeckeQueslionnaircofI-Iabitual PhysicaIActivity(BaeckeetaI..1982).participant"sactivitics 3Teclassifiedin tcnnsof

averagccnergyexpe:nditurc(I=lowinlensity.2=middleinlcnsity.3=highintensily) Ofthemostfrequentlyparticipmedactivityreportedby participants.6%(n=6)were classifiedaslowintensity. 74%(n=74)wereclassifiedasmiddleinlensityand20%(n

=20) were classified ashigh intensity.Furthcnnore.21%(n=21)participatedin running.31%(n=31)participatcdin hikinglwalking.20%(n=20) wereclassifiedas participatingincardio/wcightslgym.3%(tI3)participated inyogaJpilates. 6%(n=6) participalcdinaerobicsand 13%(n=13)participatcdinindividualsportsiactivities.On averagc.participantsreportedparticipatinginthcirmoslfrcqucntlyparticipatcdphysical activity 3-4hourspcrweekdunng7-9monthsoftheyear. Ofthe secondmost participated inactivity.7%(n=7)were classifiedaslowintensity. 76% (n=76)werc classifiedasmiddleintensityand13%(n=13) wercclassifiedashighintensily.\Vith rcgardsto thctypc of physicalactivitythatwas statedas thesecond mostinparticipated aClivity.8%(n=8) ofparticipantsparticipatcdinrunning.17%(n=17)participatedin hiking/walking.26%(n=26)participatcdincardio/weighlslgym.4%(11=4) participatcdinyogalpilatcs,15%(n=IS)participalcdincolllpctitivesports.8%(n=8) participalcdinacrobicsand18%(n=18)participatcdinindividualsports/aclivitics.On averagc,participantsrcportedparticipalingintheirsccondlllostfrequcnllyparticipatcd physicalaclivityl-2hoursperwcekduring4-6monthsoflheycar.Asportintcnsity itcmwasthcncatculalcdbasedonsulllmingtheproduCloflhcinlcnsity.limc.and proportionquestionsforbothsports andtrans!aledintoaS-poinlLikcrtscorc.On average.Ihesamplehad a sportintcnsityscore of3.0(SD=.72)indicatingthaltheywcre modcralely physically active.Next.participantswere askedtorcspond to3slalcments:1)

·'Incomparison to othersmyownageIthinkmyphysical activityduringleisure is...·'(1 ::Muchless;5::Muchmore);2)··Duringleisuretimclswea (I::never.5::very often);and3)··Duringleisuretimelplaysport""(I::nevcr.5::veryoften).In compansontootherstheirownage.participantsreportcdbcingaboutthesamcintenns ofphysicalactivityduring leisure time(M::2.5.SD::1.07; sl.r 'lnm=1.51: ..unOSl:S=

1.34). Participantsoftensweatedduringtheirphysicallyactivcleisuretime(M=3.59.

SD=I.OI;sl.r 'lnm::1.30:4.unOSlS=.45).Finally.participantsoftcnpla)'cdsportsduring theirlcisuretime(M=3.66.SD=.97; M,r 'lnm=.94:l.i.:unOSlS=I.23).ASportPAindex wascakulatedasameanscoreamongthesc4itcmsandthusscorcscouldrangcfroml to5.ThissamplehadamcanSportPAscoreof3.18(SD ,41:7s1."",nm=1.44;4.unostS=

06)indicatingthatasawhole, the rcspondcntsweremodcralclyacliveduringthcir

LeisurcPAdcalswithquestionswithrcgardstomodcoftransportatiOlltoschool and work,and frcqucncyoftclevisionwatching. walking andcycling.Participants rcspondcdtofourstatcmentsrelatedtofrcqucllcyof watchingtclcvisionandwalkingand cycling duringIcisurctime(i.c.,activetransportation)aswcllasthenumberofminutes IhatoncwalksandJorcyciesperdaytoand from work.school andshopping(sec Table 2). ALeisurePAindcx wasca!culatcdasamcanscorcamongthese4 ilcmsand thus scorescouldrangcfromlto5.ThissamplehadamcanLeisurcPAscoreofl.27(SD=

56; s.I.e ono:ss=.40; 4:unosls=1.25)indicatingthatas a whole. thercspondentswcrenot veryphysicalactiveduringthcirleisurctime. Finally.atotal physical activityscore was

(minimum)10fifteen(maximum).On average,participants hadamean tOlalphysical aClivityscoreof6.23(SD=.93)andthisvariablc wasnotsignificantlyskewcd( skewness=

Table 2:DescriptiveStatisticsfor Lcisure PhysicalActivity

Duringleisurctimelwalka 3.2(1.01)

FlowwasoperationalizcdinthisstudyusingtheDisposilionalFlowScale·2 (JacksonetaI.,2002).Thisscaleconsistsof36items basedonthe nine dimensions(4 itemspcrsub-scale)oftlowcitedbyCsikszentmihalyi(1990)tomeasurcIhefrequency oftlowexperiencesinchosenphysicalaclivityingeneral.ltconsistsofninesubscales:1) Challenge.SkiIlBalance.2)ClearGoals,3)UnambiguousFeedback.4)SenseofControl,

5) Autotelic,6) Merging of Actionand Awareness,7) ConcentrationontheTaskat Hand,8)TransformalionofTimeand9) LossofSelf-Consciousness.Subscalesare computedbytheaverageofthefourrespectiveitems.PleasercfertoTable3forthc descriptivestatisticsoflheitemsandsub-scales.Themostfrequentlyexperiencednow itemsincludc"lknowwhatlwanttoachievc (Mo::4.I;So::.8 ),"1haveasenscof conlroloverwhatlamdoing"(Mo::4.l;So::,71),"lreallyen oythecxpcrienceof whatlamdoing"(Mo::4.I;So::.74),"Theexperienceleavesmefeelinggreat"(Mo::

4.l;So::.81),and "Theexperienceisextremclyrewarding" (Mo::4.I;So::.81).ln termsofthefrequency of theexperience ofthe ninedimensionsnow,the sample,on average,reported theminthe following rank order(highestto lowest):I)Autotelic,2) Clear Goals,3) SenseofControJ,4)Challenge-Skill Balance,5)UnambiguollsFeedback.

6) Merging ofActionandAwareness7)Concentration ontheTaskatHand,8)

obtainedbysumming theitem-average dimensionscores (I::no experienceofnow;45::

frequent experience ofnow). Onaverage,thissample experienceda mean TotalFlow score of32,9(SD::4.21; Zskcwncsso::-l.35; Zkurtos;s=,94)indicatingthalparticipants experienccdmoderatclevelsofnowduringtheirmostfrequentlyparticipatcdphysical

Table3:DcscriptiveStatisticsofDispositionalFlowScalc-2

Iam challengedbut Ibelie e my skills will allow me to meetthechallenge

Idothings spontaneously and automaticallywithout having 10think

Ihaveagoodideaabouthowweillamdoingwhilelam involvedin Ihelasklactivily Icantellbythewaylhingsareprogressinghowwelllam doing

MOlivationtobe physically activewasmeasured using the Motives for Physical ActivitiesMeasurc-Revised(RyanetaI., 1997)whichdetennincsreasonsfor participating in particuiar excrcise activities. Thcscaieconsistsof 30itemswhichfonn5 gencralmotivesubscaicsforparticipationinanactivily:lnlcrcstlEnjoymcnt(7itcms).

Compctcncc(7 items),Appearancc(6 items). Fitness(5itcms)andSocial(5items). Each ofthcsc items is rated0117-pointLikertscales.Thc itcmsrangc from"l"(not at all true for me)to"7"(verytrue forme) withhigherscoresindicmingahigher levclof truth with thespecificstatcmcnt.Sub-scalcscoresarccalclllatcdasthcmcanscorcofallitcms withineach sub-scale.Plcaserefer toTable4 for thedescriptivestatisticsoftbe items and sub-scales.Themostfrequently experiencedmotivationitcmsincludcd "BccauscIwant tobephysical1yfiC'(M:=6.3;SD=I.03),"Becauselwanttomaintainmy physical hcalthandwell-being"(M=6.3:SD=I.II)."Becauselwantlohavemorecnergy"(M:=

6.2;SD=\.Ol).'·Becausclwanttomaintainmyphysicalstrcngthandlivcahealthylifc"

(M-6.I:SD=.89)and··Becauseilmakesmchappy··(M=6.I:SD=1.08). Thel1lnk order(highcst tolowest)ofthe motivationsub-scalesforthissampIcwercasfollows: I)

Fitness,2)Interest/Enjoyment,3)Appearance,4) Competence, and5)SociaI.Atolal motivationscore wascalculatcdbysummingthe item.averagcdimensionscores.On average,thissample experiencedameanTotal MOlivationscoreof26.9(SD=4.l8;

skcwness=-.65; kurtosis=.Ol)I indicatingIhaton averageparticipanlsreportedamoderate level ofmotivationto participatein physicalaClivity

Table 4:DescriptiveStatisticsofMolivesfor PhysicalAClivitiesMeasure-Revised Scale

BecauseIlikeengaging in activilies Ihal physically challengeme

eca selwanll maintainmyphysicalsl englhl li ea heallhylife

eca seIwanl10mainlainmyphysicalhealth and well- being

Inorderto measurethestrengthof therelationshipbctweensocio-demographic variables (genderand age) to physical activity(workphysical activity.sportphysical activity.leisure physical activity. andtotalphysical activity)now(TotaIFlowand subscales:Challengc-SkiIlBalance.MergingofActionandAwareness.Clear Goals.

UnambiguousFeedback.ConcentrationontheTaskatl·land.Sen.scofControl. Loss of Self-Consciousncss. TransformationofTimc and Autotclic Expericnce) andmotivation (totalmotivationandsubscales:lnterestlEnjoyment.Competcnce.Appearance. Fitness andSocial).a serics ofPearsoncOITclation coefficicntswcre conducted

GCllder was significantlypositivelyassociatedwithworkphysical activity(r= 2S6.p<.OS;smallefTect:r=.017)meaningthatmalcsexperienccdhigherwork physicalactivitylcvcls.lntcrmsofthecxperienceofnow,gcnderhadasmall(r=.013) butsignificnllland positiverelationwith Challenge/SkillBalancc(r.2S0,p<.OS) suggesting that malesparticipate inphysicalactivity wherethe chnllcngcmeetstheir cllrrcntskilllevel.Males also reported greaterscores ofTotal Flowincomparison to femalcs(r=.209,p<.OS;largeefTect:r=.043).lntcrmsofmotivation.genderwas significantlypositivclyreiatedwithlnterestlEnjoyment(r=.273.p<.Ol)and Competence(r=.349.p<.OOI);howeverthecfTectswere small.This 5uggeststhat males participateinphysicalactivityfOftheirownintcrestlcnjoymentandto improveon thcirown knowledge/skillbase.Finally.gender was also significantlypositively

significantlynegativelyassociatedwith theSocialmotivatiotlsub-scale(r=-.210.p<

05; largeefTectr=.040)suggestingthataseducationincreased,thcconceptionof participating in physical activity forsocialpurposes decreased. Finally,contrary10lhe beliefthaI higher ratcsofexercise bchaviour have bccllcorrelatcd with increased sociocconomicstanding(Rhodcsetat.,1999,p.399),incomewasnot significantly

PhysicalActivity(WorkPA),SportPhysicalActivity (SportPA),LeisurePhysical

Activity(LeisurePA),andTotalPhysicaIActivity(TotaIPA).TotalPAscoreswere significantlypositivclyassociatcdwithWorkPA(r=.5l5.p<.001;smallefTect:r<

OOI),SportPA(r=.716,p<.OOI;smalletTcct:r<.001)andLeisurePA(r=.757,p<

OOI;smalleffect:r<.OOl)meaningthatpeoplewithhighlcvclsofwork, sportand

Icisurephysicalactivityalsohad high levelsoftotal physicalactivity.SportPAwas

significantly positivelyassociatedwithLeisurePA(r=.289,p<.Ol;smalleffect:r= 004)suggestingthatpeople whoare physicallyactiveinsport are alsophysicallyactive

Intermsofthe relation belween physicalactivityand thc flowsub-scales,Sport PAwassignificantlypositivclyassociatedwithClearGoals(r=.223,p<.05;medium etTectr=.027)andAulolclic(r=.234,p<.05;mediumeffectr=.02l)suggcstinglhat clear goalsarcclearlyevident in higher levelsof sportphysicalactivity,conceivablydue to thehighlycompclitivenatureof sports,aswellas signifyingIhe highly psychological aspectofsports.lncontrasl,LeisurePAwassignificantlynegativelyassociatcdwith Merging ofActionandAwareness(r=-.214,p<.05;mediumcfTectr=.034) andwith

associalionssuggestthatsinceleisurephysicalaClivityisgenerallyparticipatedinata lowinlensity,onecannotreachoptimalpsychologicalleve1swhichresultin total immersion in the activity.Additionally,due to the less intcnsenalureofleisurephysical

In termsoflherelation belween physicalactivityand motivation sub-scales, Work PAwasnotsignificantlyassociatedwithmotivation.SportPA(r=.282,p<.OI;small effcct:r=.034)andTotalPA(r=.281,p<.05;smalleffectr=.OI)weresignificantly positively associatcdwiththeIntercstiEnjoyment motivationsubscalesuggesting that people participated insport for their ownsatisfactionand that peopIegenerally participatcdinphysicalactivilyforlheirownpleasure.Similarly.SportPA(r=.361,p

were significantlypositivelyassociated withtheCompetencemotivationsubscale suggestingthat higher levels orcompetence are associated withsportparticipationand that peoplepartake in physicalactivityto further develop their pre-exislingskills, qualities,etc.Finally. SportPA wasalsosignificantlypositivelyassociated withthe Fitnessmotivationsub-scale(r=.214,p<.05;mediumefTect:r=.034). SportPAwas the onlyformofphysicalactivitythatwas significantlypositivelyassociated withTotal Motivation(r=.299.p<.01;smalleffect:r=.004)suggestingthatpeopletend10be mOlivatedthemost insportparticipationcomparedtowork orleisurephysicalactivity

significantlypositively associatedwithallnine dimensions of flow:Challenge-Skill Balance(r=.760.p<.001;smalleffect:r<.001);MergingofActionandAwareness(r

=.638,p<.001;smalleffect:r<.001);ClearGoals(r=.734,p<.0OI:smalletTect:r<

001);UnambiguousFeedback(r=.789,p<.OOI;smalleffect:r<.OOl);Concentration ontheTaskatHand(r=.754,p<.001;smallcffect:r<.001):SenseofControl(r=

807,p<.001;smalleffect:r<.OOI);LossofSelf-Consciolisness(r=.433,p<.OOI;

001);andAutotelic(r=.693,p<.001;smalleffect:r<.001) In termsofcorrelationsamong the flowsubscales, theChallenge-Skill Balance dimensionofflowwassignificantlypositivelyassociatedwithfiveolherdimensionsof

Oow: McrgingofAclionand AwarenessTotal (r=.443.p<.OOI;small effect:r<.OOI);

Clear Goals Total (r=.585,p<.OOl;smalleffect:r<.OOl);ConccntraliononIheTask atHand(r=.643,p<.001;smallerrect:r<.OOI);SenseofConlrol(r=.549,p<.OOl;

;smallefTectr<.OOI);andAulotelic(r=.583,p<.OOl;smallefTect:r<.OOI).ln additiontothepositiveassociationwiththeChallenge-SkillBalance dimension,the Merging of Action and Awareness sub-scale was significanllypositive1yassociated with allotherOowdimensions:ClearGoals(r=.323,p<.OI;smallerrect:r<.OOI) suggeslingthatpeoplebecomeimmersedinanactivitywhenlheyhavegoals set;

UnambiguolisFeedback(r=.454,p<.OOi;smallelTect:r<.OOI)meaninglhatpeople maybecomeimmersed inactivity whenthey areaware ofhow they are anainingtheir goals; Concentration onthe TaskatHand(r=.325,p<.01;small errect:r=.OOi) suggestingthatwhenpeople become immersedin anactivity,theymayhavehigher

signifyingthatpeoplemay become immersed inactivity whentheyexhibit complete control;LossofSeif-Consciousness(r=.302,p<.OI; small efTect: r=.002)Suggesling thatas people bccome immersedinanactivity, theyhave less negativethoughtsand uncertainties;Transfomlation ofTime(r=.286,p<.OI; small efTect:r=.004)meaning thatas peopie bccomeimmersed inan activity. timeseemstoslowdown or speed up; and Autotelic(r=.328.p<.OI;smalleffect:r=.OOI)suggestingthataspeoplebccome

In addition to itspositiveassociationwiththeChallengc-Ski11 Balanceand Mergingof Action and Awareness dimensions ofOow,theClear GoaIssubscale was also

significantlyPOSilivclyassociatedwithUnambiguousFeedback(r=.789,p<.OOl;small effect:r<.OOI)andConcentralionontheTaskatHand(r=.560,p<.OOI;smallelTecl r<.OOl)meaningthatpeoplewhoeslablishedgoalsforanaClivityhad higherlevels of

signifyinglhatpeoplemay feel moreincontrolinanactivitywhcnlhey havegoals set andAutotelicTolal(r=.530.p<.OOI;smallefTectr<.OOl).TheUnambiguous Feedback dimensionofOow was significantlyposilivelyassociatedwithConcentration ontheTaskatHand(r=.557,p<.OOl;smallefTect:r<.OOl)meaningthat peoplemay experiencehigher concemration levels whentheyareaware ofhowtheyaredoing; Sense ofControl(r=.652,p<.001;smalleOectr<.OOI)suggeslingthatpeople may feel more incontrol whentheyare aware ofhow they aredoing;Transfommtionof Time(r= 206,p<.05;largeefTect:r<.05);andAutotelic(r=.548,p<.OOl;smallefTect:r<

001).Thedimension of Concentration onthe Task atHandwas significantlyposilively

that peoplemay experiencehigherlevels ofconcentrationwhenthey felttheywerein completecontrolofthcaclivity;TransfomlationofTime(r=.331.p<.OI;smallelTect r<.OOl)meaninglhatpeoplcmayfeeltimespeduporslowdownwhenthey experience great concentration;andAutotelic(r=,429,p<.OOl;smallcfTect: r<.OOI)meaning people who experiencedintrinsicenjoymcnl inanactivityalso expcriencedhigh

ofSelf-Consciousness(r=.234,p<.05;mediumefTcct:r=.02)meaningthatpcop[c who experiencedtotalcontrolinanactivitymay havealsobeenfreeof negalivethoughls