Dark Side of Creativity - Dangling from a Tassel on the Fabric of Socially Constructed Reality: Reflections on the Creative Writing Process

Abstract

This chapter begins with an investigation into experiences of depression, alienation, and self-abuse amongst the highly creative. After this journey to the dark side, it may be uplifting to see that Mother Nature may have a few tricks up her sleeve to minimize the extent to which we succumb to the negative aspects of creativity while still benefiting from its riches. Finally, we discuss another sobering aspect of creativity--the fact that many of our inventions are dangerous to ourselves, our planet, and the other living things we share it with--and discuss how a creation intimately reflects the structure of the worldview(s) of its creators. Although the discussion focuses primarily on creative writers, we believe that it relevant to creativity in other domains, particularly the arts, and to a lesser extent science, engineering, and business.