Creativity and Madness: New Findings and Old Stereotypes (Paperback)

~ Albert Rothenberg MD (Author) "To start with, let me tell you some stories or, if you will, myths..." (more)
Key Phrases: homospatial conception, janusian formulation, janusian process, Emily Dickinson, August Strindberg, Eugene O'Neill (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

In this excellent, concise volume, Rothenberg reports his current views on this fascinating subject... Well argued and judicious.Journal of the American Medical Association

"This intriguing theory will no doubt provoke lively debate both in and outside professional circles." -- Wilson Library Bulletin

Product Description

"Albert Rothenberg has devoted the major part of a distinguished career to a broad program of research on creativity. In his excellent, concise volume, he reports his current views on this fascinating subject... It is well-argued and judicious and, therefore, a useful introduction to the domain of creativity research." -- Journal of the American Medical Association

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801849772
• ISBN-13: 978-0801849770
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #201,360 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Psychiatrist Looks at Creativity, June 28, 1999

By	[e-mail] (United States) - See all my reviews

Rothenberg looks at creativity from the perspective of a scientist. He examines psychological ideas- Freudian, depression, bi-polar, schizophrenia; linguistic trends- use of alliteration, metaphors, rhymes; personality characteristics- motivated, determined, and able to organize one's ideas; and relates them all to his search for answers to why some can create such wonderful works of art. He dispells myths about creativity being some mystical birth-right that only the chosen few possess, and implies the conclusion that creativity is more the product of an aware mind and feeling human being than tormented genius. Good book, quick read.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Rothenberg's false prophecy, June 13, 2004

By A Customer

Rothenberg's 1994 book claims to have supposedly "debunked" the "myth" between creativity and madness based on his "new findings and old stereotypes" that many geniuses such as aristotle have proclaimed a link between the two for thousands of years. He states that previous studies linking bipolar disorder to creativity were biased and a link to schizophrenia is nonexistent. He bases this on sketchy evidence with nobel laureates where there responses to a creativity test called a word association test had a slightly different response style then psychotics. He then comes to the narrow conclusion that creativity is mostly based on juxtaposition and homospatial thinking which he contends is the part of the test that nobel laureates have scored high in and psychotics didn't based on the results of his word association test.

However, since then a rigourous longitudinal study has come out in a book called "The Price of Greatness: Resolving the Creativity and Madness Controversy" found that Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia like psychosis, and other disorders are Much more prevalent among creatively eminent people then they are found in the general population. Studies by Hans Eysenck and others have also shown that psychopathology (or personality traits that predispose to psychosis) is much higher in creative people then in non-creative people in the general population. Also relatives of people with mental disorders are on average more creative then in the general population. To top it all off a study done by Peter Jordanson and colleagues has found one of the biological basis to creativity, which is that creative people score low on measures of latent inhibition which measure one's openness to novel stimuli or new possibilities. People with mental illness, particularly Schizophrenics, also score low on latent inhibition showing they have a trait that is essential for creativity, and that creative achievers also have. Of course Rothenberg obviously wasn't open to this possibility (which has now been scientifically proven), when he wrote this book. While at the same time other creativity researchers were (go figure). While Rothenberg's theory does have some truth in it such as obvious facts that creative achievement and insanity aren't the same thing and in fact that insanity in itself can be destructive to creative achievement; or that not all mentally ill people necessarily become eminent creative achievers. His main premise of the book that there is no link between creativity and madness has been proven false and it is clear that he was probably the one who was biased against any association between creativity and madness to begin with.

Then again psychiatrists, which are in the same profession as Rothenberg, often note that there is some truth in every delusion. Which I suppose means that even though "new findings and old stereotypes" has disproven Rothenberg's "delusion" (or false belief) of their not being any link between creativity and madness, his "delusional theory" should not be thought of as not being true at all. As he does make some (although mostly obvious) points about the subject in his book.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting insights about creativity, September 26, 2004

By	C. Stephans - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I found Rothenberg's insights about the characteristics of creativity the most meaningful ideas in the book. He has learned several methods of those who are creative, and these are helpful anyone wanting to be creative or help someone else like a child become creative.

He does a good job debunking some of the myths that associate creativity with mental illness by showing several cases of mentally ill creators. He shows that their creative times did not coincide with the severe bouts of mental illness.

He profiles a few artists, Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, Eugene O'Neil, and JOhn Cheever among others. It is interesting to read how these successful people dealt effectively or ineffectively with mental illness.

The author offers his conclusions about creativity and its association with mental illness. Whether they are ultimately conclusive, the reader can decide. He is a thorough researcher and writer, so this is a book worth reading if you are interested in the subject matter.