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Fusi G, Colombo B, Zanetti M, Crepaldi M, Rozzini L, Rusconi ML. The Effect of Psychological Symptoms on Divergent Thinking in Healthy Older Adults. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2021.1892413] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Fusi
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | | | | | - Maura Crepaldi
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
| | - Luca Rozzini
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Rusconi
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Bergamo, Italy
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Holm-Hadulla RM, Hofmann FH, Sperth M, Mayer CH. Creativity and Psychopathology: An Interdisciplinary View. Psychopathology 2021; 54:39-46. [PMID: 33326984 DOI: 10.1159/000511981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Since ancient philosophy, extraordinary creativity is associated with mental disorders, emotional and cognitive destabilization, and melancholia. We here summarize the results of empirical and narrative studies and analyze the most prominent case of a highly creative person who suffered from dysthymia and major depression with suicidality. Hereby, we focus on the interaction of different phases of the creative process with "bipolar" personality traits. Finally, we offer an interdisciplinary interpretation of the creative dialectics between order and chaos. The results show that severe psychopathology inhibits creativity. Mild and moderate disorders can inspire and motivate creative work but are only leading to new and useful solutions when creators succeed in transforming their emotional instability and cognitive incoherence into stable and coherent forms. The cultural idea that creativity emerges in dialectical processes between order and chaos, is also to be found in the psychologic interplay of coherence and incoherence, and in neuro-scientific models of the dynamics between tightening and loosening of neuronal structures. Consequences are drawn for the psychotherapeutic treatment of persons striving for creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer M Holm-Hadulla
- Medical Department, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany, .,Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile,
| | - Frank-Hagen Hofmann
- Psychological Department, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.,Counseling Service for Students, Heidelberg Student Services, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Sperth
- Counseling Service for Students, Heidelberg Student Services, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Claude-Hélène Mayer
- Department of Industrial Psychology and People Management, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa
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3
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Steinberg H, Schönknecht P. Goethe: A bipolar personality? Periodicity of affective states in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as reflected by Paul Julius Möbius. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL BIOGRAPHY 2020; 28:174-180. [PMID: 29372661 DOI: 10.1177/0967772017743880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This paper aims to investigate the character and etiological basis of German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's mental disorder. From 1898, German neuropsychiatrist Paul Julius Möbius developed the hypothesis that Goethe's work provided several hints for the notion that the German poet suffered from a distinct bipolar disorder. The paper investigates Möbius's psychopathographic study on Goethe and his hypothesis of a mood periodicity in Goethe against the mirror of modern concepts. Möbius came to the conclusion that Goethe's illness was bipolar in character and became visible at intervals of seven years and lasted for about two years. The majority of Möbius's contemporary psychiatric colleagues (Emil Kraepelin, Max Isserlin, Ernst Kretschmer, Josef Breuer) supported this view which has still not been convincingly challenged. In present-day terms, Möbius's hypothesis can be best mirrored as a subclinical foundation of mood disorder. Furthermore, with his extensive study, Möbius disproved the common notion that Goethe had suffered from an illness as the result of a syphilitic infection.
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Berardelli I, Erbuto D, Rogante E, Sarubbi S, Lester D, Pompili M. Making Sense of the Unique Pain of Survivors: A Psychoeducational Approach for Suicide Bereavement. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1244. [PMID: 32714228 PMCID: PMC7344316 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Grief, guilt, abandonment, anger, shame, and rejection are the most common feelings experienced by suicide survivors, who differ from other bereaved individuals for the intensity of these feelings. Moreover, suicide risk and psychiatric disorders associated with suicidality are more frequent in people who have lost a loved person by suicide. Given the complexity and the consequences linked to the suicide of a loved person, it is necessary to act promptly. Among the various strategies, psychoeducation has proved effective for several mental disorders and for suicide bereavement. It is a therapeutic intervention aimed at identifying and understanding the psychological features associated with the mental pain of suicide survivors, to facilitate the management of the illness and the recognition of relationships in the social environment. We developed a psychoeducational group that took place at the Suicide Prevention Center of the Sant'Andrea Hospital in Rome. It was a homogeneous, finite-group composed of 8-12 suicide survivors and conducted by two trained psychologists supervised weekly by the Director of the Suicide Prevention Center. The intervention comprised 21 weekly sessions of 90 min. Each session concerned a determined topic and began with the presentation of the issue, continued with specific exercises, and finished with a group discussion. The main goals of the group were to provide support, normalize the reactions of the survivors, and assist them in reducing their emotional suffering and their thoughts about suicide, investigate the potential presence of suicide risk, implement prevention strategies, and integrate the loss of the loved person. The psychoeducational approach we delivered for suicide survivors allows individuals to interact with other individuals in the same situation in order to help them resume the normal course of life, placing the suicide of a loved person in a broader perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Berardelli
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Centre, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Denise Erbuto
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Centre, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Rogante
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvatore Sarubbi
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - David Lester
- Department of Psychology, Stockton University, Galloway, NJ, United States
| | - Maurizio Pompili
- Department of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Sensory Organs, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Suicide Prevention Centre, Sant’Andrea Hospital, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Chen Z, Xiao S. How Does Affective Disorder Relate to Creativity? The Pathography of the Chinese Writer Yu Dafu. Psychopathology 2020; 53:1-7. [PMID: 32208391 DOI: 10.1159/000503394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Yu Dafu, arguably one of the greatest writers in modern Chinese history, is characterized by critics as having a sentimental and decadent style. His life is clearly marked by mood bipolarity, and it seems that his creativity was affected by extreme emotional states. However, this link remains unclear. METHODS Yu's self-assessments in his works and letters are analyzed from the perspective of current psychiatric classifications. Examples are extracted from his writing career and habits to help illuminate the relationship between mental disorders and literary creativity. RESULTS Yu's writing career seems to be divided into four blocks. He was in a deep depression when he studied abroad and taught in China and experienced a hypomanic episode afterward, when he created a magazine and fell in love. The pattern of his mood changes is consistent with the symptoms of bipolar II disorder. His maintenance of a high degree of literary productivity alongside his anguish during depressive episodes may suggests mixed states. CONCLUSIONS Mood changes shaped Yu's life and writing career. Depressive and hypomanic moods enhanced his creativity in several ways, and some situations in his life indicate that writing and literary pursuits also have reverse effects on one's mental state. The perspective that mental disorders are seen as a certain profile of literary career can help us to better understand the writers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhimin Chen
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Shifu Xiao
- Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China,
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Gu S, Gao M, Yan Y, Wang F, Tang YY, Huang JH. The Neural Mechanism Underlying Cognitive and Emotional Processes in Creativity. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1924. [PMID: 30429805 PMCID: PMC6220028 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 09/19/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Creativity is related to both cognition and emotion, which are the two major mental processes, interacting with each other to form psychological processes. Emotion is the major driving force of almost all creativities, sometimes in an unconscious way. Even though there are many studies concerning the relationship between creativity and cognition, there are few studies about the neural mechanisms of the emotional effects on creativity. Here, we introduce a novel model to explain the relationship between emotions and creativities: Three Primary Color model, which proposes that there are four major basic emotions; these basic emotions are subsided by three monoamines, just like the three primary colors: dopamine-joy, norepinephrine-stress (fear and anger), and serotonin-punishment. Interestingly, these three neuromodulators play similar roles in creativity, whose core features are value and novelty (surprise), like the characteristics of the core features of basic emotions (hedonic value and arousal value). Dysfunctions of these neuromodulators may be the reasons for both psychopathology and creativity, in that they can change the thinking styles such as novelty seeking behavior, hyper-connectivity of brain areas, and/or cognitive disinhibition to induce both creativity and psychopathology. This new model will not only help researchers understand the dynamics of basic emotion elements, it can also bring an entirely new perspective into the relationship between psychopathology and creativity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeng Gu
- Department of Psychology, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China.,Institute of Emotion, School of Psychology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Mengdan Gao
- Institute of Emotion, School of Psychology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yaoyao Yan
- Institute of Emotion, School of Psychology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Fushun Wang
- Institute of Emotion, School of Psychology, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing, China.,Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, TX, United States.,College of Medicine, Texas A&M HSC, Temple, TX, United States
| | - Yi-Yuan Tang
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, United States.,Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - Jason H Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, TX, United States.,College of Medicine, Texas A&M HSC, Temple, TX, United States
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Hansen M, Smith DJ, Carruthers G. Mood disorder in the personal correspondence of Robert Burns: testing a novel interdisciplinary approach. J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2018; 48:165-174. [PMID: 29992209 DOI: 10.4997/jrcpe.2018.212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Robert Burns has long been recognised as someone who experienced episodes of melancholia, but no detailed, systematic and objective assessment of his mental health has been undertaken. We tested a novel methodology, combining psychiatric and literary approaches, to assess the feasibility of using Burns's extensive personal correspondence as a source of evidence for assessing the presence of symptoms of a clinically significant mood disorder. We confirmed the potential of this approach and identified putative evidence of episodes of depression and hypomania within the correspondence. While not conclusive of a formal diagnosis of bipolar disorder, this work highlights a need for further systematic examination of Burns's mental health and how this may have influenced his work.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hansen
- Department of Scottish Literature, University of Glasgow, 7 University Gardens, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK,
| | - D J Smith
- Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, UK
| | - G Carruthers
- Department of Scottish Literature, University of Glasgow, UK
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8
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Holm-Hadulla RM, Koutsoukou-Argyraki A. Mental health of students in a globalized world: Prevalence of complaints and disorders, methods and effectivity of counseling, structure of mental health services for students. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mhp.2015.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Holm-Hadulla RM, Bertolino A. Creativity, alcohol and drug abuse: the pop icon Jim Morrison. Psychopathology 2014; 47:167-73. [PMID: 24051493 DOI: 10.1159/000354617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Accepted: 07/20/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol and drug abuse is frequent among performers and pop musicians. Many of them hope that alcohol and drugs will enhance their creativity. Scientific studies are scarce and conclusions limited for methodological reasons. Furthermore, extraordinary creativity can hardly be grasped by empirical-statistical methods. Thus, ideographic studies are necessary to learn from extraordinarily creative persons about the relationship of creativity with alcohol and drugs. The pop icon Jim Morrison can serve as an exemplary case to investigate the interrelation between alcohol and drug abuse and creativity. METHODS Morrison's self-assessments in his works and letters as well as the descriptions by others are analyzed under the perspective of creativity research. RESULTS In the lyrics of Jim Morrison and in biographical descriptions, we can see how Jim Morrison tried to cope with traumatic events, depressive moods and uncontrolled impulses through creative activities. His talent, skill and motivation to write creatively were independent from taking alcohol and drugs. He used alcohol and drugs to transgress restrictive social norms, to broaden his perceptions and to reinforce his struggle for self-actualization. In short, his motivation to create something new and authentic was reinforced by alcohol and drugs. More important was the influence of a supportive group that enabled Morrison's talents to flourish. However, soon the frequent use of high doses of alcohol and drugs weakened his capacity to realize creative motivation. CONCLUSIONS Jim Morrison is an exemplary case showing that heavy drinking and the abuse of LSD, mescaline and amphetamines damages the capacity to realize creative motivation. Jim Morrison is typical of creative personalities like Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones and Jimmy Hendrix who burn their creativity in early adulthood through alcohol and drugs. We suppose that the sacrificial ritual of their decay offers some benefits for the excited spectators. One of these is the illusion that alcohol and drugs can lead to authenticity and creativity.
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Holm-Hadulla RM. The Dialectic of Creativity: A Synthesis of Neurobiological, Psychological, Cultural and Practical Aspects of the Creative Process. CREATIVITY RESEARCH JOURNAL 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/10400419.2013.813792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Holm-Hadulla RM. Goethe's anxieties, depressive episodes and (self-)therapeutic strategies: a contribution to method integration in psychotherapy. Psychopathology 2013. [PMID: 23208149 DOI: 10.1159/000345169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In psychiatry and psychotherapy, abstract scientific principles need to be exemplified by narrative case reports to gain practical precision. Goethe was one of the most creative writers, productive scientists, and effective statesmen that ever lived. His descriptions of feelings, emotions, and mental states related to anxieties, depressive episodes, dysthymia, and creativity are unique in their phenomenological precision and richness. His life and work can thus serve as an excellent example enhancing our understanding of the relationship between anxiety, depression and creativity. Furthermore, he described (self-)therapeutic strategies that reinforce and refine modern views. METHODS Goethe's self-assessments in his works and letters, and the descriptions by others are analyzed under the perspective of current psychiatric classification. His therapeutic techniques and recommendations are compared with cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and existential psychotherapy to amplify modern concepts of psychotherapy. RESULTS From a scientific perspective, several distinctive depressive episodes can be diagnosed in Goethe's life. They were characterized by extended depressive moods, lack of drive, and loss of interest and self-esteem combined with social retreat. Goethe displayed diffuse and phobic anxieties as well as dysthymia. His (self-)therapeutic strategies were: (a) the systematic use of helping alliances, (b) behavioral techniques, (c) cognitive reflection on meanings and beliefs, (d) psychodynamic and psychoanalytic remembering, repeating, and working through, and (e) existential striving for self-actualization, social commitment, meaning, and creativity. CONCLUSIONS In Goethe's life, creative incubation, illumination, and elaboration appear to have been associated with psychic instability and dysthymia, sometimes with depressive episodes in a clinical sense. On the one hand, his creative work was triggered by anxieties, dysthymia, and depressive moods. On the other hand, his creativity helped him to cope with psychic disorders and suicidal tendencies. Furthermore, Goethe described psychotherapeutic strategies that resemble modern techniques. He integrated relational, behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic, and existential techniques and attitudes. These modern psychotherapeutic approaches can be exemplified and enhanced by reflecting upon the (self-)therapeutic efforts of one of the most creative persons that have ever lived. Hermeneutics as the art of communication and understanding derived from Goethe's (self-)therapy and creative works can serve as a meta-theoretical framework for the integration of different psychotherapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rainer M Holm-Hadulla
- Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany; Universidad Diego Portales, Santiago de Chile, Chile.
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Holm-Hadulla RM, Hofmann F. Counselling, psychotherapy and creativity. ASIA PACIFIC JOURNAL OF COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY 2012. [DOI: 10.1080/21507686.2012.711761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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