The Evolving Self by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

The Evolving Self

Psychology for the Third Millennium, a

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

HarperCollins · Print & ebook · October 13, 2009

The acclaimed sequel to the international bestseller Flow: an intelligent, inspiring guide to unlocking the evolutionary history of our present consciousness, and “becoming at one with the power that is the universe.” “A book of singular importance and timeliness, one with momentous implications for the future.”— Howard Gardner In Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s bestselling Flow, he introduced readers to a radical new theory of happiness.

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Who it’s for
Explore how evolutionary history, culture, and the self shape consciousness—and the search for a meaningful future.
Themes
Evolutionary history of consciousness, Genes, culture, and self-perception, Flow and a meaningful future
Genres
How We Evolved to Think, The Pursuit of Happiness, How We Think & Learn

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For younger readers: Discovering Life’s Story: the Evolution of an Idea

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About this book

The acclaimed sequel to the international bestseller Flow: an intelligent, inspiring guide to unlocking the evolutionary history of our present consciousness, and “becoming at one with the power that is the universe.” “A book of singular importance and timeliness, one with momentous implications for the future.”— Howard Gardner In Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s bestselling Flow, he introduced readers to a radical new theory of happiness.

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Now in The Evolving Self—his breakthrough sequel—he demonstrates how we can understand and overcome our evolutionary shortcomings. Premised on the idea that only through a reckoning with our evolutionary past can we build a stable, meaningful future, The Evolving Self covers the challenges associated with our cognitive evolutionary history (“As far as controlling the mind is concerned, we are like a novice driver behind the wheel of a racing car”); the distortions of reality we experience due to genes, culture, and our sense of self; and the central importance of “flow” from an evolutionary perspective as we look toward the future. Erudite, perceptive, and insightful—and more important now than ever, as our consciousnesses are increasingly mediated by electronic devices—The Evolving Self is a timely resource for anyone looking to improve our world for ourselves and for generations to come.

Mind in Motion

Explore how evolutionary history, culture, and the self shape consciousness—and the search for a meaningful future.

Come here for

  • A thoughtful bridge between evolutionary history and psychology
  • A fresh perspective on flow and human possibility

Expect

  • Big questions about how we understand reality
  • Erudite reflection on building a more meaningful future

Where it sits

How We Evolved to Think87%
The Pursuit of Happiness64%
How We Think & Learn34%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Emotions
  • Humanistic Approaches
  • How We Evolved to Think
Authors
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published
October 13, 2009
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Evolutionary history of consciousness · Genes, culture, and self-perception · Flow and a meaningful future
Reading lane
Emotions