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Flow and sense of coherence: two aspects of the same dynamic?

Department of Music, Åbo Akademi University, jlutz{at}abo.fi

Antonovsky’s sense of coherence (SOC) and Csikszentmihalyi’s concept of flow appeared approximately 20 years ago and have received widespread recognition as resource-oriented approaches within the fields of health and psychology, respectively. Both focus on the dynamics of engagement with life, flow on one’s level of engagement in the present and SOC on one’s global orientation — one’s self-perceived capacity for engagement over time. While the two constructs are very similar, even collinear, no attempt seems to have been made to integrate them. This article proposes that flow and sense of coherence are not only complementary but actually two aspects of the same dynamic: flow is sense of coherence made visible in the present, while sense of coherence is a product of flow over time. It is suggested that this hypothesis could be tested using existing or new empirical methods. If evidence is found to support the hypothesis, this could lead to a more useful, integrated model of the dynamics of engagement.

Key Words: empowerment • flow • sense of coherence • music

Global Health Promotion, Vol. 16, No. 3, 63-67 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1757975909339774


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