Flow and Abiding Interest: An Experiential Perspective on Identity Maintenance and Development in Later Life

Kevin Rathunde ()
Additional contact information
Kevin Rathunde: University of Utah

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2025, vol. 26, issue 5, No 5, 16 pages

Abstract: Abstract An experiential perspective on identity development is presented here and focuses on the importance of flow experiences for developing abiding interests, or long-term interests that form the core of a person’s identity. The perspective shares similarities with the exploration/commitment dynamic incorporated in much identity research but suggests how experiences like flow can help regulate and motivate identity growth. The selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) model of aging is applied within this experiential framework to illustrate how healthy identity maintenance and development in later life can occur by prioritizing abiding interests. Finally, when the search for meaning is magnified by existential circumstances in later life and cognition changes, a person’s abiding interests can be interpreted in new ways that lead beyond the individual self. Absorbing experiences like flow result in a momentary unselfconsciousness or feelings of egoless self-transcendence. Reflecting on such states in later life can enhance well-being and amplify a feeling of interconnectedness with life.

Keywords: Flow; Interest; Identity; Later life; SOC model; Self-transcendence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10902-025-00901-8 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:jhappi:v:26:y:2025:i:5:d:10.1007_s10902-025-00901-8

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... fe/journal/10902/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s10902-025-00901-8

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Happiness Studies is currently edited by Antonella Delle Fave

More articles in Journal of Happiness Studies from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().