Flow is a motivational state occurring when one’s skill level is balanced with the challenge of a task, leading to optimal performance and profound enjoyment. Its connection with optimal performance has drawn interest in fields focused on performance—such as sports, education, and work—and its connection with enjoyment has drawn interest in fields focused on subjective well-being, such as leisure and mental health. Facilitation of flow can involve both personality traits that promote it and those that hinder it, such as reactance . Reactance occurs when one perceives either a threat to a freedom or its actual loss, leading to behaviors directed toward restoring that lost/threatened freedom. Reactance is negatively correlated with personality traits such as openness and positively correlated with neuroticism and anxiety, whereas flow is positively correlated with openness and negatively related with neuroticism and anxiety. After comparing several structural equation models using a sample of 369 postsecondary students, a first-order confirmatory factor analysis model was retained. Results indicated negative correlations between most flow factors and two of four reactance factors (resentment of authority and tolerance of conflict), and positive correlations with the remaining two (resistance to influence and preservation of freedom). Thus the strength and direction of the association between flow and reactance depend on the factors involved. These findings reflect a complex relationship between flow and reactance and provide insight into how optimal performance and subjective well-being can be better facilitated.

当一个人的技能水平与一项任务的挑战相平衡时，流动就成为一种激励状态，从而导致最佳的表现和深刻的享受。它与最佳表现的联系引起了对专注于表现的领域的兴趣，例如运动，教育和工作，而与娱乐之间的联系引起了对专注于主观幸福感的领域的兴趣，例如休闲和心理健康。促进流动既可以促进人格特质，也可以阻碍阻碍人格特质，例如反抗。当人们感觉到对自由的威胁或其实际丧失时，就会发生反抗，从而导致针对恢复失去/受到威胁的自由的行为。电抗与开放性等人格特征呈负相关，与神经质和焦虑呈正相关，血流与开放性呈正相关，与神经质和焦虑呈负相关。在使用369名高中生的样本比较了几个结构方程模型后，保留了一阶确认因子分析模型。结果表明，大多数流量因素与四个电抗因素中的两个之间呈负相关（对权威的抵触和对冲突的容忍），与其余两个正相关（对影响的影响和对自由的维护）。因此，流量与电抗之间关联的强度和方向取决于所涉及的因素。这些发现反映了流量和电抗之间的复杂关系，并为如何更好地促进最佳表现和主观幸福感提供了见解。