Creativity and Madness: New Findings and Old Stereotypes - Paperback

by Albert Rothenberg (Author)

Intrigued by history's list of "troubled geniuses,"Albert Rothenberg investigates how two such opposite conditions--outstanding creativity and psychosis--could coexist in the same individual. Rothenberg concludes that high-level creativity transcends the usual modes of logical thought--and may even superficially resemble psychosis. But he also discovers that all types of creative thinking generally occur in a rational and conscious frame of mind, not in a mystically altered or transformed state.

Far from being the source--or the price--of creativity, Rothenberg discovers, psychosis and other forms of mental illness are actually hindrances to creative work. Disturbed writers and absent-minded professors make great characters in fiction, but Rothenberg has uncovered an even better story--the virtually infinite creative potential of healthy human beings.

Back Jacket

Psychiatry/Psychology --'In this excellent, concise volume, Rothenberg reports his current views on this fascinating subject...Well argued and judicious.... I Cannot recommend this book too highly.' Journal of the American Medical Association

Author Biography

Albert Rothenberg, M.D., is clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard University and director of research at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. His books include The Emerging Goddess: The Creative Process in Art, Science, and Other Fields.