Abstract
The anxiety-reduction theory appears to be useful in explaining the high productivity of many geniuses who have suffered from severe anxieties. The habit of productive effort seems in many cases to relieve anxiety sufficiently to allow creative effort to proceed with results highly beneficial to society.
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Lichtenstein, P.E. Genius as Productive Neurosis. Psychol Rec 21, 151–164 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394004
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394004