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girls will become pregnant at least once before they turn 20 (Wallis et
al. 1985).
Families that provide flow. The characteristics of families that facili
tate the development of autotelic personalities in children are being
studied by Rathunde (1988).
186 Positive moods with friends. When teenagers are with friends, they
report very significantly higher levels of happiness, self-esteem, strength,
and motivation—but lower levels of concentration and cognitive effi
ciency—than they report in any other social context (Csikszentmihalyi
& Larson 1984). The same pattern is true for older people studied with
the ESM. For example, married adults and retired couples report more
intense positive moods when they are with friends than when they are
with their spouses or children—or anyone else.
Drinking patterns. The different patterns of public drinking, and the
resultant patterns of social interaction that they make possible, have
been described in Csikszentmihalyi (1968).
188 Instrumental versus expressive. The distinction between these two
functions was introduced into the sociological literature by Talcott Par
sons (1942). For a contemporary application, see Schwartz (1987), who
argues that one of the main problems with teenagers is that there are
too few opportunities for expressive behavior within the boundaries of
society, and thus they have to resort to deviance.
190 Politics. Hannah Arendt (1958) defines politics as the mode of interac
tion that allows individuals to get objectiv^feedback about their
strengths and weaknesses. In a political situation, where a person is given
a chance to argue a point of view and to convince peers of its worth,
the hidden capabilities of an individual are allowed to surface. But this
kind of impartial feedback can only occur in a “public realm” where
each person is willing to listen and evaluate others on their merit.
According to Arendt the public realm is the best medium for personal
growth, creativity, and self-revelation.
191 Irrationality of economic approaches. Max Weber (1930 [1958]), in
his famous essay on the Protestant ethic, argued that the apparent
rationality of economic calculation was deceptive. Hard work, savings,
investment, the entire science of production and consumption are justi
fied because of the belief that they make life happier. But, Weber
claimed, after this science was perfected it developed its own goals, based
on the logic of production and consumption and not that of human
happiness. At that point economic behavior ceases to be rational, be
cause it is no longer guided by the goal that originally justified it. Weber’s
argument applies to many other activities that after developing clear
