Creativity and Psychopathology: a Theoretical Model

Abstract

The view advanced here differs from traditional psychoanalytic notions. Distinctions are drawn between creativity and psychopathology. Different capacities and processes are postulated for each by virtue of a three-factor model which considers: (1) levels of primary and secondary process thinking, (2) the role of the preconscious, and (3) the nature of the synthetic ego operations. Furthermore, this view diverges from the traditional conceptions of primary and secondary processes which are based upon a hydraulic model wherein a reciprocal relationship between the two processes has been postulated. The present model is more consistent with the views advanced in psychoanalytic ego psychology. Emphasis is placed here not only on the significance of the role of the preconscious and the active posture of the ego during the creative process, but more specifically upon the crucial role of synthetic ego operations, that is, the integrating and organizing capacity itself. An attempt is made to draw attention to the fact that the creative process involves a synthesis of both developmentally primitive and developmentally advanced levels of psychological functioning throughout the entire process, and that the latter phases of the creative process are not merely equivalent to conventional work.

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