Susan A. Jackson

• PhD
• Private Practice

Adventure participants have traditionally been viewed as having thrill or risk-seeking motives, and this perception remains despite empirical research suggesting that other motives may drive participation. This study was conducted to extend understanding of participation motives of adventure recreation participants in relation to Csiksentmihalyi's...

The purposes of the current study were to examine (a) the differences in Flow State Scale (FSS) subscales between the 4 experiential states of the orthogonal model (apathy, anxiety, relaxation, and flow), (b) the relationship between challenge, skills, and flow experience; and (c) the relationship between flow experience and athletes' performance....

The main purpose of this study was to examine psychological factors of potential relevance to athletic flow experiences. A secondary purpose was to empirically examine the relationship between flow and optimal performance. Understanding factors that may be associated with flow will help to make this optimal mental state more accessible to researche...

With particular focus on the year following completion of high school, the present study sought to establish the status of young people's physical activity behavior, physical activity motivation, physical activity flow, and physical self-concept. Among a sample of 213 Australian participants assessed in their final year of school and then one year...

Based on the Physical Self Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) normative archive (n = 1,607 Australian adolescents), 40 of 70 items were selected to construct a new short form (PSDQ-S). The PSDQ-S was evaluated in a new cross-validation sample of 708 Australian adolescents and four additional samples: 349 Australian elite-athlete adolescents, 986 Span...

The transition from school to further education and work is one of immense change that impacts physical activity attitudes and engagement in adulthood. The Stages of Change (SOC) model, which resides under the transtheoretical framework, has been proposed as one way to measure and evaluate physical activity uptake and maintenance. The current resea...

In this exploratory study, we examined hypothesized antecedents (basic psychologi­cal needs) and consequences (dispositional flow) of athlete engagement (AE); plus the extent to which AE mediated the relationship between basic needs and flow. Struc­tural equation modeling with a sample of 201 elite Canadian athletes (60.20% female, mean age = 22.92...

The present study explores the validity of a recent stages of change (SoC) measure and algorithm among a sample of late adolescents. MANOVA and structural equation modeling are used to assess the relationship between five SoC groups (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance) and a set of dependent measures including phy...

Long and short flow scales are examined from dispositional (n=652 long; n=692 short) and state (n=499 long; n=865 short) perspectives. The long flow scales constitute a 36-item multidimensional assessment of flow and have previously demonstrated good psychometric properties. The short flow scales constitute new abbreviated versions of the long form...

The overarching aim of the present study is to expand current approaches to assessing task absorption and subjective experience by assessing two brief measures of flow: (1) ‘short’ flow, reflecting an aggregate or global measure drawn from the ‘long’ multi-item multi-factor flow instrument and (2) ‘core’ flow reflecting the phenomenology of the sub...

ObjectiveThe primary purpose of this study was to examine the factorial validity and reliability of the Japanese versions of the Flow State Scale-2 and Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (JFSS-2 and JDFS-2) for use with Japanese adults.MethodTo accomplish the aim, a multi-staged approach was employed. Following the guidelines for test adaptation [Tanzer, N...

Building from our qualitative investigation of elite New Zealand athletes (Lonsdale, Hodge, & Raedeke, 2007), this project had three purposes: (a) to develop a measure of core athlete engagement (AE) dimensions (confidence, dedication, and vigor), (b) to investigate the possibility that preoccupation and enjoyment are also core AE dimensions, and (...

Background and Purpose: The sport motivation scale (SMS; [Pelletier, L. G., Fortier, M. S., Vallerand, R. J., Tuson, K. M., Brière, N. M., & Blais, M. R. (1995). Toward a new measure of intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, and amotivation in sports: The sport motivation scale (SMS). Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17, 35–53]) was d...

The flow concept describes a model of enjoyment that has relevance for understanding participation and experience across a wide range of activities (Csikszentmihalyi, 1997). The basic premise of the flow concept is that when challenges and skills are simultaneously balanced and extending the individual, a state of total absorption can occur. Resear...

The Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2) and Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2) are presented as two self-report instruments designed to assess flow experiences in physical activity. Item modifications were made to the original versions of these scales in order to improve the measurement of some of the flow dimensions. Confirmatory factor analyses of an item...

Jackson and Marsh (1996) reported the development of a Flow State Scale (FSS) for use in sport and physical activity. The FSS contains 36 items measuring the nine dimensions of flow described by Csikszentmihalyi (1990, 1993). Jackson and Marsh reported high internal consistency estimates for the subscales and evidence for nine first-order factors a...

Applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models to evaluate multidimensional models of flow state and flow trait. 385 athletes from the 1994 World Masters Games completed the 9-factor Flow State Scale (S. A. Jackson and H. W. Marsh, 1996), Flow Trait Scale (S. A. Jackson et al, 1998), and external validity criteria. CFA tested alternative 1st-ord...

The purpose of this study was to examine possible psychological correlates of flow in a sample of older athletes. Both state and trait, or dispositional flow states, were examined. Masters athletes completed questionnaire assessments on two occasions while competing at an international masters sport competition. The participants (398) completed a q...

To better understand the impact that winning an Olympic gold medal has upon athletes, a qualitative investigation of the experiences encountered by Australian athletes who won an Olympic gold medal between 1984-1992 was conducted. A total of 18 Olympic champions were interviewed on their experiences as gold medallists. While athletes recognized man...

The experiences of 18 Olympic gold medallists from Australia are analyzed relative to the changes effected by their Olympic wins. Specifically, the effect an Olympic win has on subsequent athletic performance is addressed as are athletes' strategies for coping with changes faced after winning a gold medal and recommendations for future Olympic cham...

An in-depth investigation into flow state was conducted in order to understand how this optimal state is experienced by elite athletes. Twenty-eight elite-level athletes, representing 7 sports, were interviewed on their perceptions of flow state during performance of their sport. Csikszentmihalyi's (1990) model of the flow state was examined for it...

Developed and validated the Flow State Scale (FSS), a measure of flow in sport and physical activity settings. The 9 FSS scales of the 36-item instrument represent the dimensions of flow, and each scale is measured by 4 items. Internal consistency estimates for the 9 FSS scales were reasonable for administration of the scale to 394 athletes (aged 1...

Understanding factors which may influence the occurrence of flow in elaite athletes was the goal of the present investigation. Twenty-eight elite level athletes from seven sports were interviewed about the factors they perceived influenced their experience of flow state. Inductive content analyses of athletes' responses to questions about what faci...

Three studies investigated three potential psychological antecedents of flow in sport-goals, competence, and confidence. These studies examined tennis players competing in a weekend tournament, basketball players in college activity classes, and golf regulars. The first study had the participants rate flow characteristics, whereas the second and th...

This investigation had two purposes: (a) to identify and describe the coping strategies used by national champion figure skaters and (b) to examine the relationship between coping strategies and particular stress sources. Participants were 17 of 20 (85%) Senior U.S. National Champion figure skaters who won titles between 1985 and 1990. All skaters...

17 US national champion figure skaters who held titles between 1985 and 1990 were interviewed regarding positive and negative aspects of being a national champion athlete, difficulties encountered in defending a championship title, and recommendations for achieving and maintaining national champion status. Positive aspects of winning/defending a ti...

17 adult US national champion figure skaters who held their titles between 1985 and 1990 were interviewed about the stress they experienced as national champions and were asked to identify specific sources of stress. Qualitative methodology was used to inductively analyze the interview transcripts. 71% of the Ss experienced more stress after winnin...

Extensive in-depth interviews were conducted with all 20 members of the 1988 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team regarding their efforts to cope with stress experienced during the Seoul Olympics. Qualitative analyses revealed that the wrestlers employed a variety of coping strategies including: (a) thought control strategies (blocking distractions, perspec...

This manusuipt presents a portion of a larger study fuaded by a grant From USAThis manuscript is one in a series presenting results of an in-depth investigation of the 1988 US Olympic Wrestling team regarding psychological factors influencing performance in the Seoul Olympics. Previous reports have shown clear nomothetic differences between medal a...

This is the 2nd in a series of articles reporting on a study (see record 1993-19763-001) involving interviews with all 20 members of the 1988 US Olympic Wrestling Team regarding their performances in the Seoul Olympics. The results of analyses of thoughts and affect occurring during competition were examined. The wrestlers responded to a series of...

Interviewed all 20 members of the 1988 US Olympic Wrestling Team about their performances in the Seoul Olympics. Mental preparation strategies, precompetitive cognition, and affect were examined by having the wrestlers respond to a series of questions about their all-time best match, worst Olympic match, and most crucial Olympic match. Considerable...

A qualitative investigation into the flow experiences of elite figure skaters was conducted in order to gain greater insight into the nature of flow in sport. Sixteen former US National Champion Figure Skaters, who held their titles between 1985–1990, were interviewed on an optimal skating experience, and then questioned extensively about factors a...

This study investigated relationships among peak performance, flow, goal orientation, and perceived ability in an attempt to ascertain possible conceptual bases to peak performance. Collegiate athletes (N=200) answered a questionnaire that assessed mastery and competitive goal orientations, perceived ability, flow, and experience in best and worst...

Measures of multidimensional self-concepts, masculinity (M), and femininity (F) were completed by high-school women athletes and nonathletes, and by young-adult women athletes and nonathletes. Women athletes in both age groups had substantially higher scores in M and in self-concept of physical ability, but did not differ substantially from nonathl...

Examined relations between women's involvement in sports and 3 psychological constructs (role conflict, sex-role identification, and multidimensional self-concepts) using 3 groups: 30 17–41 yr old female powerlifters competing in a national championship, 46 high school female athletes, and 46 high school female nonathletes. Role conflict was not su...

Traducción de: Flow in Sports El psicólogo Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi acuñó el concepto de "fluencia" para denominar un estado mental donde la persona está completamente en sintonía con lo que está haciendo, se sabe fuerte y capaz de controlar su destino al menos por un momento y experimenta una sensación de placer independientemente de los resultados...

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 1992. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 187-192). Microfilm.