Diversifying Experiences in the Development of Genius and their Impact on Creative Cognition

Damian, Rodica Ioana; Simonton, Dean Keith

doi:10.1002/9781118367377.ch18

Cited by 52 publications

(63 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…To be more precise, the role that diversifying experiences might play in the emergence of genius varies according to the domain of achievement . Indeed, the observed pattern closely reflects what was earlier stated with respect to any tendencies toward psychopathology.…”

Section: Early Developmentsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…In addition, the psychopathological tendencies mentioned earlier seem to function in much the same way as diversifying experiences . This suggests that they may enter into some trade‐off interaction: the more of one, the less of the other.…”

Section: Early Developmentmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…In contrast, if Cox had studied the early biographies of her 301 geniuses, she might have spotted a more complex picture: unstable, diverse, or unconventional homes; traumatic events in childhood or adolescence; physical or cognitive disabilities; minority or multicultural status; and often uneven scholastic performance—what have been collectively called “diversifying experiences.” These are events or conditions “that help weaken the constraints imposed by conventional socialization” so that the children do not become “normal” adults. For example, the parents might come from different geographic, religious, or ethnic backgrounds, and one or both parents might have died while the child still lived in the home.…”

Section: Early Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To begin with, it is possible to have “too much of a good thing.” Excessive traumatic events in childhood or adolescence can induce abnormality rather than just the lack of normality. Hence, the relation is best described by a curvilinear inverted U suggesting a “sweet spot” for optimal talent development . Minority status can prove a developmental asset only if it is not associated with pronounced discrimination or oppression.…”

Section: Early Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reverse engineering genius: historiometric studies of superlative talent

Simonton

2016

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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Although genius has been defined in the dictionary as requiring an IQ above 140, this definition depends on an arbitrary methodological decision made by Lewis Terman for his longitudinal study of more than 1500 intellectually gifted children, a study that occupies four of the five volumes of Genetic Studies of Genius. Yet, only the second volume, by Catharine Cox, studied bona fide geniuses, by applying historiometric methods to 301 highly eminent creators and leaders. After defining historiometric research, I examine the difference between historical genius and intellectual giftedness with respect to heterogeneous intellects, personality differences, and early development and show that the actual relation between IQ and genius is small and heavily contingent on domain-specific assessment, the operation of traits like persistence and openness to experience, and the impact of diversifying experiences, including both developmental adversity and subclinical psychopathology. Hence, the dictionary definition of "genius" has minimal, if any, justification. If, using historiometric methods, one works backward from recognized geniuses, such as those studied by Cox, one might not obtain the kind of sample that Terman obtained for his longitudinal study. The two methods produce two distinct subgroups of the larger population.

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Section: Early Developmentsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Early Developmentmentioning

confidence: 86%

Section: Early Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Early Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reverse engineering genius: historiometric studies of superlative talent

Simonton

2016

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

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“…Finally, two additional ways in which research on post‐traumatic growth may broaden its operating model come from a research tradition in creative achievement. According to this research, diversifying experiences are highly unusual and unexpected events or situations that push individuals outside the realm of ‘normality’ (Damian & Simonton, , , in press). Any unusual and unexpected events, positive or negative , may fulfil this role through the ‘strain’ they place on the individual, by providing the experience necessary to break boundaries and see the world in multiple ways, which presumably equips them with the cognitive flexibility necessary for coming up with creative ideas.…”

Section: Integrating Post‐traumatic Growth Into a Broader Model Of LImentioning

confidence: 99%

Open Peer Commentary

Blackie¹,

Jayawickreme²

2014

Eur J Pers

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We are confident that researchers who take note of the suggestions raised by the commentaries will greatly advance the study of post-traumatic growth. Our response focuses on four broad issues -the exact nature of post-traumatic growth, the role of "traumatic" experiences, methodological improvements for future research, and why it really does matter whether retrospective perceptions of post-traumatic growth reflects genuine change. We hope that our target article and the discussion it has generated will inspire rigorous research into the positive outcomes that may follow from experiencing trauma and adversity.

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Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Creativity from Life History Theory

Sun,

Yu,

Ding

et al. 2024

Journal of Creative Behavior

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From the perspective of survival adaption, adverse childhood experiences may promote creativity, and this effect would be enhanced by external threat. This study adopted three approaches to explore the impact of childhood harshness and unpredictability on creativity. By using a historiometric approach to investigate the adverse childhood experiences among eminent psychologists in 20tth century, Study 1 found that the proportion experiencing childhood adversity was significantly higher than the proportion who did not, especially in the group experiencing an external threat. Study 2 measured college students' early childhood experiences and creative thinking in a threatening circumstance (COVID‐19 pandemic), which showed that childhood harshness was significantly correlated with the originality of creative thinking. Study 3 explored the moderating role of threat through experimental manipulation. Results showed that childhood harshness predicted originality only in the threatening condition but not in the control condition. These results have theoretical significance for understanding individual creative development.

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Diversifying Experiences in the Development of Genius and their Impact on Creative Cognition

Cited by 52 publications

References 64 publications

Reverse engineering genius: historiometric studies of superlative talent

Reverse engineering genius: historiometric studies of superlative talent

Open Peer Commentary

Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Creativity from Life History Theory

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