“Figuring” the Self: Unity and Multiplicity in Clinical and Theological Imagination

This paper considers the relationship of unconscious fantasy to theory, with the focus on the issue of unity and multiplicity. The purpose of the paper is to explore the deep structure of unconscious fantasy, which is understood as that which promotes and organizes our experiences of the “one” and the “many” and serves as a driving force in the formation of the self. Using Thomas Ogden’s reformulation of Melanie Klein’s theory of fantasy (phantasy) and his vision of the Kleinian subject, alongside Christian Trinitarian theology, the paper argues that unity and multiplicity persist in a generative and interpenetrating dialectic that unfolds within/toward a transcendent unity-in-process, an eternal “becoming one.”     

Creativity, “Twinning,” and Self-Destruction in the Life and Work of Tennessee Williams

Applying an eclectic psychoanalytic framework, this paper provides a thematic link between the core experiences of Williams' early life and his creative work. Both preoedipal and Oedipal themes are elucidated. The central issue that dominated Williams' mental life was his struggle between a sense of suffocation and confinement, on the one hand, and having artistic and sexual freedom, on the other. The experience of suffocation extended to his dread of becoming mad. This dread derived from his intense twinning or twinship merger with his schizophrenic sister who was confined in an asylum. The study focuses attention on a number of Williams' one-act and full-length plays, written during each of the decades of his public career, as representative of his overall dramatic opus. These works are indicative of his special relationship with his sister as well as of his obsession about self-indulgence and fear of confinement. The later plays suggest that he was subject to identity confusion.     

“What If” Dimensions of the Analytic Field: Imagination,Object Vitality,and Psychic Growth

This paper considers the role of imagination in the context of Bionian Field Theory. Expanding on Hanna Segal’s idea of “what if” dimensions of the analytic process, it is argued that “what if” states engage evocative and vital aspects of objects. They set up particular tensions in the analytic field that trigger “imaginative work.” The processes at work share many similarities with the artist’s creative process. For this reason, William Kentridge’s reflections on his own creative process are used to elucidate “imaginative work” as an esthetic, creative and agentive process. Three case fragments are used to illustrate some of these ideas in the clinical setting.     

“Educating the Whole Body”: Addressing and Equipping the Imagination in Theological Education

This paper seeks to explore the relationship of the imagination to the processes of integration in theological education. It describes the way in which the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. addresses the imagination. It draws on those insights to summarise an understanding of imagination, particularly how imagination relates to conceptualisation and the naming of God. It then explores the way in which valuing the imagination effects pedagogy in pastoral theology. In conclusion, it names what might be involved in creating an environment in theological education that values and encourages the imagination.     

Human Enhancement and the Anthropology of the “Entire Human Being”

About one and a half decades ago, two prominent reports were published in the United States (US) which strongly influenced subsequent international discussions on the topic of human enhancement: a 2002 report on “converging technologies for improving human performance”, based on a workshop which was organised by the US National Science Foundation (NSF) and the US Department of Commerce in December 2001, and the first report of US President George W. Bush’s Council on Bioethics (PCBE), published in October 2003 with the title Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness. The 2002 report included a wide variety of contributions from academics in various fields of research, from representatives of US institutions, and from companies. Due primarily to the influence of the two NSF staff editing the report, it can be regarded as the first major instance of the influence of transhumanism, a techno-futurist ideology and movement, on the US technology and innovation discourse. The PCBE report, on the other hand, is a prime example of a conservative critique of the transhumanist notion of human enhancement. In this invited contribution, these two crucial publications are analysed mainly in order to point out the relevance of philosophical anthropology as developed since the 1920s by Helmuth Plessner and others. This remarkable school of thought is experiencing a revival in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, and, to some extent, in the English-speaking world. In this article, it is argued that philosophical anthropology provides us with an important alternative to both anthropological essentialism and scientism, two approaches that are still highly relevant in current discourse on human enhancement.     

Creativity,consciousness, and “becoming wise fast enough”

Thirteen 11th-grade students in enriched mathematics and 9 in a regular course solved nine word problems that varied in the ease with which they could be solved by verbal-logical or visual strategies. A pervasive use of verbal-logical solution methods was noted for both groups. Significant differences were found in the final solution strategies. In the course of solving each problem, students tried different strategies. Enriched students alternated almost exclusively between verbal-logical and visual solution methods, whereas regular students alternated equally between verbal-logical and visual solution methods or between verbal-logical strategies and trial and error.     

“In that sleep of death what dreams...”: Foucault,Existential Phenomenology,and the Kantian Imagination

Although Foucault's early writings were strongly influenced by the discourse of existential phenomenology, he later considered it an obstacle to a better understanding of social and political power. This essay seeks to understand some of the reasons for his shift, specifically with respect to Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty. I argue that Foucault diverges from existential phenomenology according to an alternative tendency within the Kantian inheritance they both share: one which stresses the world-disruptive rather than the unifying or world-disclosive power of transcendental imagination. Examining the role played by dreams and death in Foucault's early introduction to Binswanger's Dream and Existence allows us to situate his later analysis of the historical and political (rather than existential) meaning of death with respect to larger philosophical currents.     

Intelligence and Creativity: Over the Threshold Together?

Threshold theory predicts a positive correlation between IQ and creativity scores up to an IQ level of 120 and no correlation above this threshold. Primary school children were tested at beginning (N = 98) and ending (N = 70) of the school year. Participants performed the standard progressive matrices (SPM) and the Test of Creative Thinking—Drawing Production (TCT-DP). Each child with IQ ≥ 120 was grade-and-gender matched to a child with IQ < 120. Results in accordance with the threshold theory were found only for female children in the highest grade level (Grade 4). Longitudinal analysis implies that a subgroup of children goes down in IQ and creativity simultaneously, possibly due to motivational issues. Their correlated scores may be a source of evidence for the threshold theory. The relationship between intelligence and creativity is not straightforward and depends on a combination of factors including grade level and gender.     

Pornography,Religion, and the Happiness Gap: Does Pornography Impact the Actively Religious Differently?

Club good models developed by economists suggest that the club provides a benefit to members by fostering the provision of semi-public goods. In the case of religion, churches create enforcement mechanisms to reduce free riding. Consequently, the psychic costs of deviant activity should be higher for individuals who belong to religious groups with strong social norms. Data from the General Social Survey are used to examine whether the cost of using pornography is greater for the more religiously involved. We measure the cost of using pornography as the happiness gap or the gap between the average happiness reported by individuals who do and individuals who do not report using pornography. The happiness gap is larger for individuals who regularly attend church and who belong to religious groups with strong attitudes against pornography.     

Introducing the Concepts of “Positions,” “Space,” and “Worlds”: Seeing Human Being and Becoming—and Religion—in New Ways

Theories of psychological development, however diverse, often express common underlying ontological-epistemological commitments shaped by the legacies of Descartes, Newton, and Kant. Three related psychoanalytic concepts—“positions,” “space,” and “worlds”—individually and collectively sketch the contours of a different way of construing human being and becoming—a way that departs from these legacies. Implications for the study of religion of this “different way” are examined.     

Creativity and performance appraisal: Shall never the twain meet?

This article explores the need for performance appraisal systems that are designed to meet the unique motivational and performance needs of creative employees. The dimensions and special needs of creative behavior are drawn from the literature and defined; the state of performance appraisal is reviewed; and a preliminary investigation to determine what can be learned on the subject from the current practice of performance appraisal is reported. Implications for further research and improvement in the practice of performance appraisal for creative employees are discussed.     

On Vandervert et al. “Working Memory,Cerebellum, and Creativity”

Four measures of self-determination (SD) were correlated with two measures of trait creativity. In Study 1, subjects high on the Creative Personality Scale (Gough, 1979) and the Problem-Solving/Creativity scale (Marsh &; O'Neill, 1984) were found to strive for self-determined reasons, to strive toward greater SD, and to evidence higher SD in measures of both motivational orientation and self-concept. Study 2 replicated most of these findings and also showed that creative subjects perceived their parents to be more autonomy supportive. Results are interpreted in terms of a general disposition to be self-determining that may help attune creative people to deeper cognitive resources and capacities within themselves.     

National Culture,Creativity, and Productivity: What’s the Relationship with Student Achievement?

Using Hofstede’s culture dimensions and World Values Survey (WVS) dimensions, the study uses a series of multiple regressions to explore the relationship among national culture, creativity as measured by patents, economic productivity as measured by gross domestic product per capita, and student achievement as measured by Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. The findings of this exploratory study highlight long-term orientation value from Hofstede’s national culture dimensions and tradition versus secular-rational values from the WVS as the most significant predictors of student academic achievement. A series of 12 regression analyses indicated significant relationships among student achievement, creativity, and economic productivity with models explaining between 19.9% and 76.0% of the variance among countries.