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International Handbook on Giftedness pp 599–616Cite as

Imaginary Worldplay as an Indicator of Creative Giftedness

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Abstract

Creative potential in childhood, of a kind bearing fruit in maturity, reveals itself in imaginative play, the most complex of which is the invention of imaginary worlds (paracosms). Worldplay often includes the generation of stories, drawings, etc., that provide evidence of little c creative behavior. Historical examples (e.g., the Brontës) suggest that productive worldplay may thus serve as a “learning laboratory” for adult achievement. Early research explored ties between worldplay and later artistic endeavor. Recent study of gifted adults finds strong links, too, between worldplay and mature creative accomplishment in the sciences and social sciences. As many as 1 in 30 children may invent worlds in solitary, secret play that is hidden from ready view. Worldplay nevertheless figured tangentially in early studies of intellectual precocity. Improved understanding of the phenomenon, its nature and its potential for nurture, should bring childhood worldplay to the foreground as an indicator of creative giftedness.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Michele Root-Bernstein

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  1. Michele Root-Bernstein
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Correspondence to Michele Root-Bernstein .

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  1. Département des sciences administratives Pavillon Lucien-Brault, Université du Québec en Outaouais, 101, rue Saint-Jean-Bosco, Case postale 1250, succursale Hull, J8X 3X7, Gatineau, Québec, Canada

    Larisa V. Shavinina

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Root-Bernstein, M. (2009). Imaginary Worldplay as an Indicator of Creative Giftedness. In: Shavinina, L.V. (eds) International Handbook on Giftedness. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6162-2_29

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