Contradictory Association
How about trying a word association test? I'd suggest using paper and pencil. (I know; how retro.) I'll list ten words and you write the first word association that comes to mind. Don't pause too much. Start from the left and work in sequence. I'll clarify the purpose of this exercise in a moment.
tiny .... calm .... begin .... proud .... warm .... push .... line .... dream .... dry .... cruel
Next, I want you to try evaluating what percentage of your responses were: a) similar to, b) unusual or a personal association to, and/or c) opposite from the ten test words. For example, if the test word had been "fire," and you said: a) "hot," "red" or "flame" that's a similar response, b) "Aries" (fire sign), "phoenix" (mythical bird that was reborn from its own ashes) or "marshmallow" (as in the marshmallow you used to toast around a campfire; and then you'd get fired up when it fell off the stick just before it reached your mouth), these represent an unusual or personal response, and c) "water," that's an opposite response. (I suppose an association of "gun" or "sack" - as in pink slip - could be both similar and/or a personal response. This test is not hard science. More a mind provoker and expander.)
Now I want to pose a question. Which category of responses - similar, unusual/personal or opposite - would more likely be associated with individuals high in creativity? Well, my workshop audiences invariably select the unusual/personal responses. However, a study done by Dr. Albert Rothenberg, a Yale psychologist and author of a book on creativity in the sciences and arts, The Emerging Goddess, suggests that creative individuals more frequently use oppositional responding than less creative ones. Now before anybody gets their ego bent out of shape...First, this was only a small study. Second, there are many different ways to measure and demonstrate creative thinking and problem-solving. However, for the sake of argument (and for this essay) let's ponder why there might be some association between verbal fluency and comfort with opposition and creativity. Three answers come to mind:
1. Creative people tend to get bored or frustrated with convention and predictability. These folks are often rebels, of a sort; they like thinking "out of the box,"
2. Oppositional thinking facilitates seeing both or even many sides of an issue; you're more comfortable with contradiction and diverse perspective. You also realize there are shades of gray or gradations between the extremes. Also, the glass isn't just half empty or half full; as likely, it's half empty and half full. (Of course, my clever brother recognized how to tell the empty vs. full status of the glass: look for the lipstick stains!) And finally,
3. Grappling with simultaneous opposition or contradiction often challenges a person to come up with a broader or higher perspective that integrates both end points. It's the old "thesis vs.antithesis" struggle, which often leads to a creative "synthesis."
Now I must admit, a creative "aha" doesn't always yield a "higher" perspective. For example, I've written previously how I started to write rap songs (thesis) and then questioned my judgment. At the time, I was a university professor, an organizational development consultant and psychotherapist: "What was I doing trying to write rap?" (The antithesis.) Then one morning, I awoke with an "obvious" synthesis: I was into Shrink Rap! See, sometimes contradictory or paradoxical insights don't always yield a higher truth. Then again, a friend with a flair for contradiction thinks I'm pioneering "Aristocratic Rap."
The purpose of the test and today's column is to stimulate complexity and contradiction in thinking; to help us become more imaginative problem-solvers. And in the spirit of Humor From The Edge, you might also wind up with a sharper wit. For as Mark Twain observed: "Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any relation."
Next time, I'll share an oppositional story. More than ever...Practice Safe Stress!
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Mark Gorkin, "The Stress Doc," Licensed Clinical Social Worker, is a nationally recognized speaker, workshop leader and author on stress, reorganizational change, anger, team building, creativity and humor. The Stress Doc is a columnist for the popular cyber-newsletter, Humor From The Edge. Mark is also the "Online Psychohumorist" for the major AOL mental health resource network, Online Psych. His motto: Have Stress? Will Travel! Reach "The Doc" at (202) 232-8662, email: Stress Doc@aol.com.