Antonini Philippe, Roberta

Biasutti, Michele

Kosirnik, Céline

Ortunu, Esther

English

Serveur académique lausannois

RESEARCH POSTER PRESENTATION TEMPLATE © 2019www.PosterPresentations.comBetween flow and anxiety: A study of the factors affecting musicians’ performancesRoberta Antonini Philippe1, Céline Kosirnik1, Esther Ortuñu2, and Michele Biasutti31 PHASE Lab, Institute of Sport Sciences, University of Lausanne, Switzerland2 Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland  3 Department of Philosophy, Sociology, Pedagogy, and Applied Psychology, University of Padova, ItalyINTRODUCTIONA musical performance is a complex activity requiring thearticulation and synchronization of multiple cognitive,motor, psychological, and emotional processes [1]. Inaddition, the musician is often exposed to situations thatcan generate stress, distress [2] or even anxiety. Indeed,musical careers take place in very competitive settings,and musicians have to cope such stressful events aspublic performances, examinations, and musiccompetitions which often cause them music performanceanxiety (MPA) [3].How could they cope with MPA?Through the flow state theory, informal strategies couldbe highlighted and productive means for coping with MPAcould be underlined [4]. Flow is a positive state duringwhich people are motivated and focused on performing agratifying activity [5] and could suggest unexplored waysof controlling MPA. In fact, levels of MPA are low duringthe best performances [6], and a flow state can raiseperformers to a state of grace which counters anxiety [7 ;8 ; 9].OBJECTIVESThe present study aimed at examining the links betweenstates of anxiety and flow to outline unexploited facets ofdistress and optimal experiences with the objectives to:1. Improve the understanding of factors affectingperformance2. Define applied indications for musicians to recognizethe characteristics and causes of anxiety and theprocesses that could counteract this state.MATERIALS AND METHODParticipants• Six professional musicians (two men, four women) andfive student musicians (three men, two women)• Aged from 18–30 years old (M = 25; SD = 5.3)• Instruments played: cello (1), viola (1), piano (2), bass(1), violin (2), trumpet (2), or voice (1)Procedure and methodsMusicians were asked to recall two different experiences:1. One in which they had felt very comfortable andtotally immersed in the performance2. An experience in which they felt uncomfortable,anxious, or stressedThe data was collected in the form of graphs drawn bythe musicians and recordings/transcripts of theinterviews.Data analysisNo software was used in any stage of the analysis: allcoding and grouping were done by hand. Data wereanalyzed using a thematic inductive approach involvingseveral steps [11 ; 12]RESULTSFactors leading to performance anxietyThe findings revealed many different factors whichconditioned performance. The results enabled to considerperformance itself along a continuum whose twoextremes relate to the two phenomena studied, namelyflow and anxiety.The results obtained also make it possible to show therange of aspects on which it seems relevant to work as amusician. From a practical point of view, the mental orpsychological preparation seems to be an essentialelement in optimizing a musician's potential and enablinghim to resist pressure [13].REFERENCES(1) Williamon, A. (2002). Memorising music. In J. Rink (Ed.), Musical Performance: AGuide to Understanding (pp. 113-126). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.doi:10.1017/CBO9780511811739.009(2) Habe, K., Biasutti, M., & Kajtna, T. (2019). Flow and satisfaction with life in élitemusicians and top athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(698), 1-11.https://doi/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00698(3) Casanova, O., Zarza, F. J., & Orejudo, S. (2018). Differences in performanceanxiety levels among advanced conservatory students in Spain, according to type ofinstrument and academic year of enrolment. Music Education Research, 20(3), 377-389. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2018.1433145(4) Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal performance. NewYork, NY: Harper and Row.(5) MacDonald, R., Byrne, C., & Carlton, L. (2006). Creativity and flow in musicalcomposition: An empirical investigation. Psychology of Music, 34, 292–306.https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735606064838.(6) Kirchner, J. M., Bloom, A. J., & Skutnick-Henley, P. (2008). The relationshipbetween performance anxiety and flow. Medical Problems of Performing Artists,23(2), 59–65.(7) Cohen, S., & Bodner, E. (2020a). The relationship between flow and musicperformance anxiety amongst professional classical orchestral musicians. Psychol.Music, 47, 420–435. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735618754689(8) Cohen, S., & Bodner, E. (2019). Flow and music performance anxiety: Theinfluence of contextual and background variables. Musicae Scientiae.https://doi.org/10.1177/1029864919838600(10) American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual ofmental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: APA.(9) Fullagar, C. J., Knight, P. A., & Sovern, H. S. (2013). Challenge/skill balance,flow, and performance anxiety. Applied Psychology, 62, 236–259.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2012.00494.x(11) Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. QualitativeResearch in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.http://dx.doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa(12) Braun, V., Clarke, V., & Weate, P. (2016). Using thematic analysis in sport andexercise research. In B. Smith & A. C. Sparkes (Eds.), Routledge handbook ofqualitative research in sport and exercise (pp. 191-205). London, UK: Routledge.(13) Williamon, A., & Antonini Philippe, R. (2020). Well-being in and throughperformance: Interdisciplinary perspectives from sports and music. Frontiers inPsychology, 11(399), 1-3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00399THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKMusic performance anxiety (MPA)MPA can be defined as “a marked fear or anxiety aboutone or more social situations in which the individual isexposed to possible scrutiny by others.” [10] . This form ofanxiety can be detrimental to good performance.FlowFlow research has highlighted several factors which canhelp to define an optimal experience:1) a balance between challenge and skill; 2) the merger ofaction and awareness; 3) clear goals; 4) unambiguousfeedback; 5) concentration on the task; 6) a sense ofcontrol; 7) a loss of self-consciousness; 8) a distortedsense of time; and, 9) an autotelic experience [4].The following seven categories emerged as factorspromoting flow: 1) Social standing, 2) Type of preparation,3) Connection to one’s body, 4) Awareness of skills andself-confidence, 5) Intrinsic motivation, 6) Attentionalfocus, and 7) Transcendence.Example of results:Attentionalfocusa) Concentrationb) Attentionalorientation“Well, I think it’s a matter of good concentration. If you want to master a performance, be in control of it and all that, then it’s all about concentration. For me, it’s ninety percent concentration.” (M4)Factors promoting flowThe following seven categories emerged as factorsleading to performance anxiety: 1) Social andenvironmental conditions, 2) Type of preparation, 3)Disconnection from the body, 4) Lack of knowledge, skills,and self-confidence, 5) Lack of motivation, 6)Dysfunctional attentional focus, and 7) Disruptivethoughts.Example of results:“First, it’s physical. The head’s gonnafreak out because it’s not working. At first, it was fine, but when I started playing, I had no feeling; I couldn’t feel anything.” (M2)a) Disconnectionfrom physicalsensationsb) BodilydiscomfortDisconnectionfrom the bodyCONCLUSION AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Poster of the 2020 Annual Conference, Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) - Between flow and anxiety. A study of the factors affecting musicians' performances

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Poster of the 2020 Annual Conference, Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) - Between flow and anxiety. A study of the factors affecting musicians' performances

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