Several scientific studies have demonstrated correlations between creativity and mental illness, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Even though the association between bipolar disorder and creativity first appeared in literature in the 1970s, the idea of a link between "madness" and "genius" is actually much older. It goes back at least to the time of Aristotle and the Ancient Greeks, when it was believed that creativity came from the gods, and in particular the Muses, the mythical personifications of the arts and sciences. More recently, the idea of a complete work of art emerging without conscious thought or effort was supported in the Romantic era. beliefs on the creative inspiration of the artist as a special gift belonging to a special individual set apart from the rest of society. We know today that often psychotic individuals can see the world in a novel way and perceive what others usually do not, showing a high degree of creativity. Neuroimaging studies of the brain suggest, in particular, the importance of the association cortices activity in unconscious states leading to great creativity.
Despite these studies, one should be extremely careful HOWEVER not to automatically associate mental illness with great creative art. As many instances of great artists who suffered of painful mental illness show (from the novelist Virginia Woolf, to the poets Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, and Robert Lowell, to the great painters Vincent Van Gogh and Edward Munch), great art also requires patience, dedication, and constant self-control in order to organize creative material in a coherent fashion.
Creativity is one of the most valued human traits. It has given human beings the ab...
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...er than the norm).
For example, Emotional Illness and Creativity by Richard D. Chessick indicates that creativity and art, recalls that mental illness, when the ego fails to achieve cohesion, can actually hamper the creative process.
Works Cited
Adams, William Lee. “The Dark Side of Creativity: Depression + Anxiety × Madness = Genius?” CNN
Blakeslee, Sandra. “A Disease That Allowed Torrents of Creativity.” The New York
Times 8 April 2008. Web.
Chessick, Richard. Emotional Illness and Creativity: A Psychoanalytic and
Phenomenologic Study. Madison: International Universities Press, 1999
Greene, Graham. Author of Self. New York: Random House, 2010. Print.
McLean, Don. “Vincent” American Pie. Performed by Don McLean. 1971. Audio.
Stang, Ragna. Edward Munch: The Man and His Art. New York: Abbeyville
Promotional, 1979. Print.
Shaughnessy, M. F., & Wakefield, J. F. (2003). Creativity: Assessment. In N. Piotrowski & T. Irons-Georges (Eds.), Magill's encyclopedia of social science:Psychology (pp. 459-463). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press. Van Hoose, W.H. (1980).
It is hard to comprehend how and why people lose their sanity and become mad. I will address how the mind’s struggles caused by individual genes, stress and social-cultural influence affect the lives of Naomi, a 24-year-old college student with schizophrenia and Eric, a 27-year-old classical musician with severe depression. Their thoughts and behavior surprised me as this is my first time exposed to what these mental illnesses are. The relation between the mind and the body and the fact that the emotions affect the functioning of the body and vice versa explains the how and why a person become insane.
Symptoms of mental illness vary and may affect a person’s mood, thinking, and social interaction with others. In comparison to the documentary, Nina Simone has a reputation of being moody and angry to which later she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. There were certain situations in the film where she would write down suicidal thoughts in her journal during her depression and people in the film would recall times where she would have fits of anger throughout her life that affected her career. Evidently, the mental behavior of a person is something that could affect their position in society. In the case of Nina Simone, her mental behavior has affected all aspects of her life regarding her musical career and relationships to which it negatively impacted her career, relationships, and people’s perception of Nina Simone during her life.
What inspires artistic genius? Some proclaim God, others beauty, many believe instanity, and a few say….mind altering drinks. One cannot but notice the companionship of alchohol with music, literature, and poetry. During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, Absinthe was the beverage of choice for many prominent artists, and was at the center of the lives of such famous minds as Degas, Manet, Gauguin, and Poe. Le Feé Verte (its pseudonym, meaning green fairy) while immensly popular at one point, was prohibited because of its dangerous side effects and “immoral” connotations. However, its sudden come back in Europe and the U.S. has only reaffirmed its symbol as a drink for artistic revolution and just plain drunkeness.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is a psychopathology that affects approximately 1% of the population. (1) Unlike unipolar disorder, also known as major affective disorder or depression, bipolar disorder is characterized by vacillating between periods of elation (either mania or hypomania) and depression. (1, 2) Bipolar disorder is also not an illness that remedies itself over time; people affected with manic depression are manic-depressives for their entire lives. (2, 3) For this reason, researchers have been struggling to, first, more quickly diagnose the onset of bipolar disorder in a patient and, second, to more effectively treat it. (4) As more and more studies have been performed on this disease, the peculiar occurrence between extreme creativity and manic depression have been uncovered, leaving scientists to deal with yet another puzzling aspect of the psychopathology. (5)
One of the most memorable experiences I had last summer was visiting the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. (3)At this museum, professional artists had created none of the works hanging on the walls. Visionary art is an individualized expression by people with little or no formal training; the rules of art as a school did not apply here. While I was there, I learned that for many years, the artwork created by patients of mental institutions, hospitals, and nursing homes were disregarded and destroyed by their caretakers. After seeing what powerful and telling work came from many people in these situations, I found this information to be very distressing. Fortunately, the development of art as a form of therapy has changed the medical attitude toward art created by the healing in the past fifty years. While the work created through this therapy is rarely showcased as at the American Visionary, it is aiding therapists and their clients in reaching a new awareness.
The film A Beautiful Mind, tells the story of John Nash, a famous mathematician, who begins to suffer from schizophrenia during his research at the University of Princeton. The film presents some of the battles Nash went through as he tried to carry on his mathematical research. The film addresses a major issue in society: the capability for individuals with a mental illness to perform in society. The article, “The Patient Scientist” also addresses the issue of performance in society; the article concentrates its attention on a doctor who suffers from cancer. Mental and physical deficiencies do not hinder the ability to be a productive member of society. The drive that the individual has and the resources that are made available are better indicators of productivity for those with mental or physical limitations.
...ve them of their inspiration and interfere with their creativity. It is a thorny, and relatively new, question, and Jamison merely outlines the controversy without offering an opinion on what should be done to rectify the situation, leaving the door open for further research. Mental illness in artists is a fascinating subject, and Jamison does an excellent job of providing a through portrait of many artists who have grappled with manic-depressive disorder, in addition to exploring how these disorders affect creativity and productivity. Jamison also maintains an awareness of the objections to her attempts to draw a correlation
Shaughnessy, M. F., & Wakefield, J. F. (2003). Creativity: Assessment. In N. Piotrowski & T. Irons-Georges (Eds.), Magill's encyclopedia of social science:Psychology (pp. 459-463). Pasadena, CA: Salem Press.
In their article, “The Creativity Crisis”, authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman explore the urgency of the downfall in the public’s “creativity quotient.” Bronson and Merryman emphasize the necessity for young children to be imaginative. Through an IBM poll, they verify that with the decrease of creativity in our society comes an array of consequences seen in the work field. The authors remind readers of another reason for the importance of creativity; they argue that creative ideas can solve national matters. Hence, Branson and Merryman believe that original ideas are key for a better world. Though I concede that creativity is a vital key to the solution of many national problems, I still insist that teaching creativity,
History shows that signs of mental illness and abnormal behavior have been documented as far back as the early Greeks however, it was not viewed the same as it is today. The mentally ill were previously referred to as mad, insane, lunatics, or maniacs. W.B. Maher and B.A. Maher (1985) note how many of the terms use had roots in old English words that meant emotionally deranged, hurt, unhealthy, or diseased. Although early explanations were not accurate, the characteristics of the mentally ill have remained the same and these characteristics are used to diagnose disorders to date. Cultural norms have always been used to assess and define abnormal behavior. Currently, we have a decent understanding of the correlates and influences of mental illness. Although we do not have complete knowledge, psychopathologists have better resources, technology, and overall research skills than those in ancient times.
Doward, J. (2013), Medicine's big new battleground: does mental illness really exist? The Observer 12 May.
There is a correlation between aesthetics and cognitive function, mood, attitude and emotions. The way in which we are affected by seeing art, touching scultures, dancing or listening to music has a profound affect on almost all human beings. Art therapy can help to mend thought process emotions and understanding of ourself, others as well as our environment. “The current gap in our understanding of creativity in screenplay writing by focusing on the cognitive, conative, affective, and environmental factors that come into play at different stages in the creative process” (Bourgeois-Bougrine et al., 2014
In conclusion to some up this essay the term ‘creativity’ will always cause a debate in the educational system as. There will always be difficulty defining it as many use the term too loosely to have a definitive meaning. It requires risk taking, it is difficult to portray creativity when schools are so obsessed with right or wrong answers for ways of doing things. Society teaches us the risks are bad because the government and its policies interfere with our own choices and decisions.
The link between creativity and mental illnesses is a topic that has been debated for centuries. The great philosophers Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle all discussed the connection as well. Even in today’s society, there is an ever-present stereotype that creative individuals (i.e. poets, writers, artists, designers, etc.) suffer from bouts of depression, mania, or mental illnesses. It is an age-old question: does depression/mania effect creativity? There is a lot of evidence that both supports and denies the truth behind this question. Some researchers believe the link between depression and creativity is strictly genetic while others believe there is none at all. The argument for this discussion will mostly support the argument that creativity is absolutely a result, cause, and remedy of mania. The manic-depressive illnesses discussed in this debate will mostly include bipolar disorder, mania, and depression. However, there are a lot of factors that play a role in this debate. To discuss, we must first define creativity, the creative process, manic-depressive illnesses, and rumination.