Title |
“Not in their right mindâ€: the relation of psychopathology to the quantity and quality of creative thought
|
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Published in |
Frontiers in Psychology, July 2014
|
DOI | 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00835 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Christopher H. Ramey, Evangelia G. Chrysikou |
Abstract |
The empirical link between psychopathology and creativity is often correlational and fraught with suspiciously causal interpretations. In this paper, we review research in favor of the position that certain forms of psychopathology that profoundly affect the neural substrates for rule-based thought (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) can significantly influence the quantity of creative production. Because highly productive individuals, irrespective of psychopathology, often produce work of greater quality, it seems that such an increase in the quantity of one's output positively affects the likelihood of generating those statistically rare acts and achievements identified and celebrated as creative. We consider evidence that offers support for such a claim. In addition, we explore findings from neuroscience that can address how a neural mechanism, the flexibility of which relies on tradeoffs between rule-based (e.g., prefrontal cortex) and stimulus-based (e.g., sensorimotor cortex) brain regions, is influenced by psychopathology in ways that can alter dramatically the quantity and quality of creative output. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 5 | 23% |
Comoros | 1 | 5% |
Canada | 1 | 5% |
Portugal | 1 | 5% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 5% |
Unknown | 13 | 59% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 18 | 82% |
Scientists | 3 | 14% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 5% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 1 | 2% |
United States | 1 | 2% |
Unknown | 41 | 95% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 11 | 26% |
Student > Bachelor | 5 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 4 | 9% |
Researcher | 4 | 9% |
Student > Master | 4 | 9% |
Other | 8 | 19% |
Unknown | 7 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Psychology | 20 | 47% |
Arts and Humanities | 3 | 7% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 3 | 7% |
Social Sciences | 2 | 5% |
Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 1 | 2% |
Other | 5 | 12% |
Unknown | 9 | 21% |