Flow-Experience means the total immersion of a person in an activity; the person can be described as absorbed in his activity. Csiksentmihalyi (1975) was the first to describe the flow-phenomenon with its components, conditions and consequences by watching mountain climbers, chess players, dancers, surgeons etc. The characteristic features are the following: One-experiences oneself no longer elevated from the action, one "merges" with the action, the person no longer is aware of his status as a protagonist of the action, the progression of action is perceived as smooth, one step flowing into the next, time flies, the perception is restricted to a very small field which is limited to the action. A necessary condition for a flow-experience is a congruence between demand and competence. This is described as a state between anxiety and boredom. Withdrawal experiments and everyday experiences show that some persons seem to need flow-experience for their well-being and they are - even if they don't know it themselves - attracted by this state of mind. Normally flow-conditions lead to an optimal level of performance and the persons enjoy their activities. This principle can be transferred to motorcycling. The (a) loss of reflection and control, the (b) restricted perception to a limited field of activity and the (c) "optimal" demand to driving competence can be particularly problematic when riding a motorcycle. The result might be a more "sportive" than defensive way of riding. In order not to rely on suppositions only 41 motorcyclists were questioned in an interview study regarding conditions and consequences of flow-experience when riding. The results cannot refute the supposition that the thrilling and joyful flow-experience when motorcycling leads to a more risky way of riding.
Abstract