Autotelic people are internally driven, and who as such may exhibit a sense of purpose and curiosity.
An autotelic is someone or something that has a purpose in, and not apart from, itself.
This is different from being externally driven, in which case things such as comfort, money, power, or fame are the motivating force.
An autotelic person needs few material possessions and little entertainment, comfort, power, or fame because so much of what he or she does is already rewarding.
Autotelic persons experience flow in work, in family life, when interacting with people, when eating, even when alone with nothing to do, they depend less on external rewards that keep others motivated to go on with a life of routines.
Autotelic persons are more autonomous and independent because they cannot be as easily manipulated with threats or rewards from the outside.
They are more involved with everything around them because they are fully immersed in the current of life.
People with an autotelic personality have a greater preference for high-action-opportunities , high-skills situations that stimulate them and encourage growth compared to those without an autotelic personality.
It is in such high-challenge, high-skills situations that people are most likely to experience flow.
Autotelic Personality also has been shown in studies to correlate and show overlapping of flow in personal life and the Big Five Personality Traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism,and Openness to Experience