Quote:[...] The hypothesis [...] is an extension of what we already know. People who have neurotic traits typically look for things to worry about (a mechanism dubbed "self-generated thinking"). [...] So where does the creativity come in? The authors argue that people who engage in self-generated thinking are creative because they are not rooted in reality – they are away with the fairies. Indeed, they may resist attempts to get them to concentrate on reality whilst they focus on their own thoughts. It is hardly a surprise, then, that their ideas can be new, whacky and original. So while people scoring high on neuroticism may struggle with a lot of stress, they can still have a successful working life. They may actually be able to find creative solutions to problems that didn't exist in the first place, and in the process come with some pretty useful and imaginative stuff. Rather like Billy Liar, in his escape from his tedious existence conjuring up some fairly exciting daydreams. [...]
Vaguely analogous, perhaps: In the course of stripping away the original empirical content that inspired the concept of quantity and its symbols / relationships / functions / axioms... The liberated, non-applied, purist sub-genre of mathematical exploration proceeded with little concern for concrete reality anymore. But the abstract process off and on over time still astonished those who discovered its most "flight of the fairies" constructs could still find practical employment on Mother Earth.
So I guess it's no surprise that when introspective neurotic adventurers return to their extrospective environment, some of their thought-inventions are likewise welcomed. Even if the creative processes they fall out of aren't always as sternly regulated by operating rules and paradigms as that of the quantitative enterprise.
Aug 29, 2015 01:28 AM
