The Five Major Theories of Creativity

What makes some people more creative than others? Is it because they are raised in creativityenhancing environments where they are encouraged to express their creativity by parents who
themselves are creative? Then again, are creative people simply born that way? Is creativity part of
their genetic makeup, inscribed in their DNA code, and, therefore, as inherent as eye color and the
shape of one's nose? In other words, is creativity the result of nurture or nature? Then again, could it
be both? Or is creativity the result of something else entirely?
These are questions that psychologists and psychiatrists have been pondering and trying to answer
for years, and through extensive studies, they have developed five major theories, each of which
attempts to explain the creative personality.
The Psychoanalytical Theory of Creativity
The main proponents of this theory include Freud, Jung, Kris, Rank, Adler, and Hammer; and the
general argument is that people become creative in reaction to difficult circumstances or repressed
emotions. For example, as Freud maintained, people repress memories of traumatic episodes or
events, and the emotions related to these events are released through creative outlets.
The theory also argues the following:
People are able to demonstrate creativity when they link the personal unconscious with the
collective conscious.Regression precedes creativity.Feelings of inferiority contribute to creativity.
Arguably, however, other theorists maintain that the psychoanalytic theory lacks credence, mainly
because it fails to take into consideration that people are both biological and social beings (Harman
& Rheingold, 1994).

The Mental Illness Theory of Creativity

The proponents of this theory include Briggs, Eisenman, Goodwin, Jamison, Richards, and
Martindale; and the major tenet is that some type of mental illness is actually necessary in order for
people to be creative, even if that illness is exceptionally mild.
Studies have shown that the mental disorders most frequently associated with increased creativity
are bipolar and manic-depressive syndromes, where sufferers undergo extreme mood swings that
perhaps contribute to enhanced creative expression.
Of course, its interesting to note that many other theorists argue that mental illness actually
interferes with and even prevents creativity and while, granted, some highly creative individuals do
suffer from some form of mental disorder, the majority of highly creative individuals do not suffer
from any form of mental disorder at all. (Harman & Rheingold, 1994)
Eysenck's Theory of Psychoticism
The main proponent of this theory was the late Hans Eysenck, who argued that highly creative
individuals possessed a quality termed "psychoticism", meaning a disposition for psychotic
tendencies. Eysenck also maintained that these psychotic tendencies were the foundation for
creative personalities, and he developed a word-association test to measure a person's psychoticism,
with results correlated to form a continuum, ranging from psychotic through average and from
conventional to highly social to altruistic.
Other theorists, however, for example, Rothenburg, disagreed with Eysenck and argued that his
theory relied too heavily upon the results of the test he himself developed and, more seriously, that
Eysenck had designed the test specifically to support his theory, which invalidated the results.
The Addiction Theory of Creativity
The main proponents of this theory are Lapp, Collins, Izzo, Norlander, Gustafson, and Wallas; and its
major tenet is that addiction, for example, to drugs and/or alcohol, contributes to and even causes
creativity.
This theory, however, is not largely supported by the mainstream research community, but instead
by independent researchers, as well as by some creative personalities who themselves suffer from
addiction problems. In fact, Lapp, Collins, and Izzo conducted a placebo study with 114 male
volunteers, giving half tonic water and half vodka, and found that the amount of alcohol consumed
did not increase a persons creativity. (Dacey & Lennon, 1998)
On the other hand, it is interesting to note that the members of the study who simply thought they
were intoxicated were the most creative of the entire group; and, in brief, although theorists have
found there is often a correlation between addictive behavior and creativity, studies have not
supported the argument that addiction either causes or contributes to creativity. (Dacey &Lennon,
1998)
The Humanistic Theory of Creativity
The main supporters of this theory include Maslow, Rogers, and Fromm, though the theory is based
mainly upon Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, a theory he developed, which maintains that humans
have six basic needs that must be met in order for them to thrive and reach maximum potential.

People's lower needs, however, must be met in order for them to progress to the next highest level,
and only upon reaching the uppermost level, self-actualization, where needs are related to purpose
and identify, are they at last free enough and comfortable enough to express themselves creatively.
The supporters of this theory argue that environment is unimportant because even the most difficult
of environments cannot hinder creativity if someone possesses the ability to self-actualize and, thus,
obtain the highest level, where he or she can choose to be creative. In other words, people decide
for themselves whether or not they will be creative.
It's interesting to note that the humanistic theory is the one theory with which few people find fault,
perhaps because it makes perfect sense that a person cannot concentrate upon creative endeavors
unless his or her most basic and primal needs have first been met. (Harman & Rheingold, 1994)
In conclusion, debate over what exactly makes one person more creative than another continues and
most likely will continue for years to come because while there are many plausible hypotheses, there
are yet no definitive answers, and possibly never will be, to explain the enigma known as the
creative personality.
References:
Dacey, J., Lennon, K. (1998) Understanding Creativity: The Interplay of Biological, Psychological,
and Social Factors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass
Harman, W. & Rheingold, H. (1994) Higher Creativity: Liberating the Unconscious for Breakthrough
Insights. New York: St. Martin Press