Toward a Comprehensive Psychology of Creativity

Abstract

The literature of social influences on creativity contains a curious finding. Not only does first birth order seem to foster creativity, but early death of a parent seems to function in the same way (Albert, 1980). On the average, in the general population, about 8% of people lose a parent through death before they are 16 years old. By contrast, as reported in Chapter 8, the percentages are 26% for eminent scientists (Roe, 1952) 30% for historical geniuses (Cox, 1926), and 55% for eminent English poets and writers (Brown, 1968). The incidence of early parental loss is similarly high for individuals who have achieved eminence in domains not typically considered “creative.” For example, 34% of American presidents and 35% of British prime ministers suffered such loss (Albert, 1980).