Madness and Creativity: Yes, No or Maybe?

The themes of interest that were open to exploration in view of this topic included: (a) Which mental disorders are positively associated with creativity? (b) Which mental disorders are negatively associated with creativity? (c) The dynamics of information processing biases (positive versus negative...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Anna Abraham
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media SA 2015
Series:Frontiers Research Topics
Subjects:
Online Access:
Collection: Directory of Open Access Books - Collection details see MPG.ReNa
LEADER 04267nma a2200445 u 4500
001 EB001983876
003 EBX01000000000000001146778
005 00000000000000.0
007 cr|||||||||||||||||||||
008 210512 ||| eng
020 |a 9782889196708 
020 |a 978-2-88919-670-8 
100 1 |a Anna Abraham 
245 0 0 |a Madness and Creativity: Yes, No or Maybe?  |h Elektronische Ressource 
260 |b Frontiers Media SA  |c 2015 
300 |a 1 electronic resource (85 p.) 
653 |a mental wellbeing 
653 |a creative thinking 
653 |a creativity 
653 |a psychopathology 
653 |a mental illness 
653 |a neuropsychiatry 
653 |a psychosis 
653 |a Psychology / bicssc 
653 |a psychiatric disorders 
653 |a neuropsychology 
653 |a divergent thinking 
041 0 7 |a eng  |2 ISO 639-2 
989 |b DOAB  |a Directory of Open Access Books 
490 0 |a Frontiers Research Topics 
500 |a Creative Commons (cc), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ 
028 5 0 |a 10.3389/978-2-88919-670-8 
856 4 2 |u https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/52540  |z DOAB: description of the publication 
856 4 0 |u http://journal.frontiersin.org/researchtopic/2168/madness-and-creativity-yes-no-or-maybe  |7 0  |x Verlag  |3 Volltext 
082 0 |a 100 
520 |a The themes of interest that were open to exploration in view of this topic included: (a) Which mental disorders are positively associated with creativity? (b) Which mental disorders are negatively associated with creativity? (c) The dynamics of information processing biases (positive versus negative) associated with psychiatric and high-risk populations (d) Theories regarding the madness-creativity link (e) Personality-based studies on creativity (f) Creativity,  
520 |a mental illness and the brain (g) Genes and creativity (h) How can studies on neurological populations inform this debate? (i) What are the areas of impact with regard to real world applications and practice? (j) Historical timeline of this question (k) Evolutionary perspectives on the madness-creativity link (l) Methodological problems associated with this field (m) Philosophical issues to bear in mind when investigating this domain (n) The usefulness of the "troubled genius" concept The invitation to contribute was open to all interested academics regardless of whether they were seasoned explorers within this field of study or just beginning to get their feet wet in its murky waters. As a result of adopting this inclusive approach, the contributions showcase a wide variety of perspectives from academic departments and institutions the world over. What is most encouraging is that so many were willing to openly take on the challenge of tackling this difficult question head on.  
520 |a Despite the ever accumulating body of evidence over the past six decades investigating this link, what is lacking is a comprehensive overview of the disparate findings from these different approaches that will enable us to address the question of whether there is an empirically founded relationship between creativity and mental illness. And if such a link does exist, what is the nature of this association? The purpose of this Research Topic was to motivate theorists and researchers to answer this question (or at least attempt to do so) given the available evidence thus far.  
520 |a We hope future discussions that follow through as a result of this collective effort will prove to be just as fruitful. 
520 |a The pervasive idea that madness and creativity are intricately linked is one that holds tremendous fascination for both scientists and the general public alike. Although this view was at first largely driven by anecdotal evidence showcasing the manifestation of mental illness in individuals who exhibited extraordinary levels of creativity in various spheres of life, it initiated a strong impetus to empirically investigate the association between mental health and creativity. A variety of approaches (and combinations of approaches) have been adopted to address this association including clinical, personality, psychometric, behavioral, cognitive, historiometric and neuroscientific.