Subclinical inclination toward manic-depression and creative performance on the Remote Associates Test

Dynamics of creative mental activity are examined in waking and dreaming processes which manifest beyond normative waking consciousness. Some consider such phenomena to be pathological or meaningless. Alternatively they may be viewed in new and healthier ways, in the context of adaptive mental controls, using nonlinear dynamical/chaos theory. The first example involves the innovativeness reported with mild mood elevation in bipolar mood disorders, linked to a compensatory advantage model of everyday creativity. With adequate controls, such mood elevation may open adaptive creative mental possibilities (in fact, for all of us). Tension between divergent and convergent thinking-as noted by J.P. Guilford, and common to many models of creative process-can further "edge of chaos" states and raise the odds of bifurcation to new and creative chaotic attractors. The second example involves REM sleep and dream phenomena, where the self-organizing brain coordinates the dream's component parts to generate unusual dream narratives. However fanciful, such divergent and condensed dream content may lead to creative insights and adaptive narratives (there are famous examples) in the light of day, when interpreted or further developed, by bringing convergent processing to divergent processing. In each case, one finds the abnormal is not necessarily pathological-and sometimes can be usefully exceptional. One consequence of a dynamical view and these examples is the need, in all of us, for greater openness to experience, and acceptance of a greater divergence of expression and behavior (vs. conformity) in ourselves, our culture, and our world.

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“…This was not about "the sicker the better." Other findings have supported this research (Akiskal and Akiskal, 1988;Fodor, 1999;Schuldberg, 1990).…”

Section: Creativity From the Perspective Of Chaos Theorysupporting

confidence: 81%

Creativity and Chaos in Waking and Dreaming States

Krippner

Richards²,

Abraham³

2012

Neuroquantology

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“…Both tests have been consistently used in the study of problem solving, cognitive flexibility, and creative thinking (e.g., Ansburg & Hill, 2003;Beeman & Bowden, 2000;Bowden & Beeman, 1998;Bowden & JungBeeman, 2003a;Dallob & Dominowski, 1993;Jung-Beeman et al, 2004;Schooler & Melcher, 1995). They have also been used in a variety of studies, including studies of attention (Wegbreit, Suzuki, Grabowecky, Kounios, & Beeman, 2012), psychopathology (e.g., Fodor, 1999), and affect (e.g., Mikulincer & Sheffi, 2000). Furthermore, the CRA problems have been used to identify the neural circuit specific to insight solutions (Bowden & Jung-Beeman, 2003a;Bowden et al, 2005;Jung-Beeman et al, 2004).…”

Section: Cra Problemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Validation of Italian rebus puzzles and compound remote associate problems

et al. 2015

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Rebus puzzles and compound remote associate problems have been successfully used to study problem solving. These problems are physically compact, often can be solved within short time limits, and have unambiguous solutions, and English versions have been normed for solving rates and levels of difficulty. Many studies on problem solving with sudden insight have taken advantage of these features in paradigms that require many quick solutions (e.g., solution priming, visual hemifield presentations, electroencephalography, fMRI, and eyetracking). In order to promote this vein of research in Italy, as well, we created and tested Italian versions of both of these tests. The data collected across three studies yielded a pool of 88 rebus puzzles and 122 compound remote associate problems within a moderate range of difficulty. This article provides both sets of problems with their normative data, for use in future research.

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“…Mild depression facilitates creativity by providing the needed critical assessment for creative production. Fodor (1999) found that mood enhancement was necessary for his participants who scored as having an inclination for manic-depressive mood disorder to function creatively. Weisberg concluded that positive mood effects productivity more than creativity.…”

Section: Judith S Kaufmanmentioning

confidence: 99%