MegaCreativity: 5 Steps to Thinking Like a Genius [Paperback]

Andrei G. Aleinikov (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

MegaCreativity is about how to get ideas - great ideas, more of them, and fast. This book is about 'breaking out of the box,' but it doesn't stop there. It's about how to break out faster, with more ideas and more innovation. Based on methods developed by author Andrei Aleinikov in his field of creative linguistics, MegaCreativity opens new paths of creativity that can be followed by anyone. People in the fields of art, writing, business, and education or anyone simply hoping to lead a more creative life can use the tools of MegaCreativity to more fully realize their true potential. If a genius is defined as someone who can see things in new ways and can create many ideas in minutes, then anyone, with the use of MegaCreativity, can be a genius. This book's practical hands-on instruction and exercises are infused with a powerfully positive tone that inspires readers to reach levels of insight, expression, and creativity they never thought possible.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andrei Aleinikov is a nationally recognized expert on creativity. He is the founder of Creative Linguistics and of Novology, the science of newness and innovation. He speaks at and runs seminars around the world on creativity. He has conducted seminars for major corporations, including McDonald's, Proctor & Gamble and Mitsubishi.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Walking Stick Press (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582971501
• ISBN-13: 978-1582971506
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Arrogant, pedantic, and disappointly trite, October 21, 2004

By 

C Kaufman "writer, psych prof, photographer" (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: MegaCreativity: 5 Steps to Thinking Like a Genius (Paperback)

I got this book after seeing what great reviews it got, as something 1) to help me jump-start writing ideas and 2) to use in teaching college students to "think outside the box."

I put the book down after two chapters. I found the author's tone to be arrogant, demeaning, and hypocritical. Aleinikov says we need to think outside the box -- which means only that we should think inside the box HE creates. After telling you to throw out all rules, he starts creating his own, which you MUST LIVE BY (according to him). And then he badgers you with thsoe rules.

He also taunts the reader with the term "genius." If you did THIS, you might be a genius -- but if you didn't, you've failed. Worse, he does psychological analyses of your character based on your answers, with absolutely no empirical evidence to back himself up. (Which he mentions and then sloughs aside. And since I'm on the topic, though the book jacket says "PhD, nowhere does it say what his PhD is in -- only what he teaches on.)

As a college psych professor always looking for new ways to teach students (and myself!) new ways to think outside the box, I was discouraged by the lack of encouragement. Learning a new skill -- whether it's riding a bike, drawing a picture, or being more creative -- takes time. Being encouraged to see things from different perspectives, and being told how to get there would be great -- having the author say "here's what you would have gotten if you were a genius -- but you failed. But wait! Thanks to me, even you can learn how to be a genius" is kind of demoralizing.

The other thing I found really frustrating is that most of us are punished for thinking outside the box, and re-learning to think differently is a process. Nowhere that I saw did the author acknowledge this. Further, he relies on psychological concepts like not saying "no" to yourself and moving beyond our normal semantic networks, but badgers the reader to do these things rather than saying "this is why we think these ways" (and why in fact they are important) "and here is how to move beyond them."

Finally, I found his constant "Say this out loud: I am not a quitter!" ridiculous. This book is packed with demeaning, pedantic stereotypes that all good psychology -- and certainly good teachers and professors -- want to avoid.

The book that comes to mind as a far more encouraging and psychologically grounded read is "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius is in all of us, February 1, 2003

By 

Suzanna Ramos (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MegaCreativity: 5 Steps to Thinking Like a Genius (Paperback)

I have always been intrigued by terms like "thinking out of the box" and "thinking differently". At last there is a book that really offers a simple approach on how to think like a genius!! It is more than a package of interesting puzzles and exercises. Andrei's practical steps of genius thinking will emancipate the reader from habits that limit one's own creativity. The underpinning philosophy that resonates throughout this book is that we all have the potential to be megacreative. Also, his writing style is personal and speaks from the heart. This book is for those who want to make a difference in their lives and the lives around them.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing outlook, January 8, 2003

By 

juliana donna ng (Singapore) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MegaCreativity: 5 Steps to Thinking Like a Genius (Paperback)

Andrei's Megacreativity opens up a whole new world of looking at things in a different light. His laws of megacreativity are refreshingly enlightening. Especially interesting are the inclusions of puzzles and challenges. Andrei makes you think at all times, "Why not?" "There must be a way somehow." He is an inspiration to all who dare to try! I strongly recommend this book to all who want to think differently in a positive way.