Channel and Process Models of Flow

This chapter directs attention to other constructs of flow that complement the componential model, including channel models that locate flow with respect to non-flow psychological states, and process models that consider flow in sequential terms, along with dynamic models of flow. Key difficulties encountered here are the troubled relationship between flow and other psychological states, differences in which components are included within process models, and the nature of the skills-challenge relationship. The discussion extends and deepens the argument for a reworked conceptualisation of flow and presents a reformulated understanding of the eight-channel model of flow as a stepping-stone toward the development of a cascade model of flow, which integrates many of the constructs explored in this chapter and accommodates divergent findings in published research.