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Creativity and psychopathology: the tenacious mad-genius controversy updated

2018; Elsevier BV; Volume: 27; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.cobeha.2018.07.006

2352-1554

Dean Keith Simonton,

Mind wandering and attention

The mad-genius controversy concerning the relation between creativity and psychopathology is one of the oldest and most contentious in the behavioral sciences. Although the prevailing consensus is that the debate is not specious, it is also evident that its scientific resolution is far more complicated than a mere yes–no decision. To illustrate this complexity, this article examines seven central issues that must be addressed in future research: target persons, mental disorders, creative domains, specific hypotheses, quantitative assessments, data analyses, and theoretical explanations. It thus becomes apparent that the subject should continue to attract empirical and theoretical work well into the future.