Unself-conscious control: broadening the notion of control through experiences of flow and wu-wei

This paper both clarifies and broadens the notion of control and its relation to the self. By discussing instances of skilful absorption from different cultural backgrounds I argue that the notion of control is not as closely related to self-consciousness as is often suggested. Experiences of flow and wu-wei exemplify a non self-conscious though personal type of control. The intercultural occurrence of this type of behavioural control demonstrates its robustness, and questions two long-held intuitions about the relation between self-consciousness and the experience of control. The first intuition holds that the conscious self initiates and controls actions, thoughts and feelings. The second is the view that losing this self-conscious type of control is a negative and upsetting experience. By focusing on “the paradox of control” in these experiences of skilful absorption, I argue that a feeling of control can occur without a self that narratively claims control. Furthermore, this type of control can be a very positive and pleasurable experience. Therefore, the common views of the notion of control are in need of broader conceptualisation and further refinement.

Publication year:2011

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

BOF-publication weight:0.1

CSS-citation score:1

Authors:National

Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Open