Flow experience, attentional control, and emotion regulation: contributions for a positive development in adolescents

Abstract

Research has shown that optimal experiences lead to positive development outcomes. Adolescence is a critical period for the engagement in daily optimal experiences, namely, flow experience, since it is a period of experimentation and definition of interests. Adolescents are more willing to attend new challenges and develop new skills, finding more opportunities within contexts to develop engaged and happy lives. In this article, we review the major findings of the impact of flow experience in adolescents’ lives and positive development, and the individual and contextual factors associated with this psychological state of consciousness. We specifically relate attentional control and emotion regulation concepts to flow experience. We discuss the possible link between flow and these self-regulation abilities and its potential for positive adolescent development. Finally, we make some conclusions and suggest new lines for future research concerning predictors of flow experience within a social and ecological framework.