Student Choice I- Communitas: The Anthropology of Collective Joy

Many athletes understand the feeling of being in flow; I played competitive soccer for 14 years growing up, and I always called it being in the "zone". That moment when you aren't paying attention to the crowd yelling, the hot sun on your face, or your tired legs. As seen in Edith Turner's book, "Communitas; The Anthropology of Collective Joy", flow "is indeed a place, but a map won't get you there." Flow can also be defined as the merging of action and awareness. Flow is an incredible experience, but you don't realize it is happening. Once you realize that you are in flow, flow ends. Flow also makes you feel apart of something bigger than yourself, creating communitas. Communitas is especially prevalent in sports teams because the members stick together through tough loses, and important victories. Through it all, players battle injuries in order not to disappoint their fellow teammates.