Showing results for "The Bell" in Creativity & Genius

Thinking outside the box means applying existing knowledge in new, unexpected ways to come up with new ideas and solutions. This is an essential skill in today’s fast-changing world. But saying “think outside the box” isn’t enough - you have to be aware of the box before you can think outside it. The scientific name for this imaginary box is “mental model”. Mental models are useful because they help you learn. They help you make sense of new information and attach it to your existing knowledge. But, at the same time, they can limit your thinking.

Analyst and author Ann Belford Ulanov draws on her years of clinical work and reflection to make the point that madness and creativity share a kinship, an insight that shakes both analysis and analyst to the core, reminding us as it does that the suffering places of the human psyche are inextricably -- and, often inexplicably -- related to the fountains of creativity, service, and even genius. She poses disturbing questions: How do we depend on order, when chaos is a necessary part of existence?