Systematic Desensitization Steps: 13 Techniques & Worksheets

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Creativity has long been associated with psychopathology. Aristotle’s statement “No great genius has ever been without some madness” (and the concise label mad genius) is still debated in the literature. The relationship between creativity and psychopathology is difficult to pinpoint, in large part because creativity and psychopathology are both complex concepts. Also, the relationship is probably bidirectional, with creativity sometimes influencing psychopathology and psychopathology sometimes influencing creativity (Runco, 1991). This makes causal explanations quite challenging. It is not surprising, then, in their review of studies on the relationship between creativity and psychopathology, that Lauronen et al. (2004) found multiple links. They concluded that there was a “fragile association between creativity and mental disorder, but the link is not apparent for all groups of mental disorders or for all forms of creativity” (p. 81). This echoes the conclusion of Richards (2000 –2001) in her overview of research on this topic. Clearly, it is necessary to be very specific in any examination of creativity and psychopathology. With that in mind, the focus of the present article should be explicitly stated. This article is focused on psychoticism. It is unique in its use of meta-analytic procedures used to explore it and its relationship with creativity.