After China sent Max into a spiral of positive disintegration, his return to the United States—and to crisis—ensured his moral transformation.
We’ve been led to believe competition helps us excel. But if we look at its evolutionary function, says Dr. Roland Persson, we see a much more complex picture.
Max Massa was desperate for a way to put overexcitable mind to use for the world—or, failing that, merely to connect with other people who cared ideas. Could he rely on his imagination to make the product of his intellect more meaningful to others?
How does creativity contribute to adolescents’ psychosocial growth? Here Krystyna Laycraft shares her doctoral research on the subject and shows why the theory of positive disintegration is particularly relevant to the highly creative.
“Starting your own business is a lot of work. It should come as no surprise that ‘entrepreneurship’ is such a long word.” So says Pierre Miller, founder of the Desiderata Pen Company. In this interview, he shares the winding path that led him from his STEM degree to becoming an artisan and a small business owner, and how it required continual work at reintegration.
Chaos around her and intensity within her led the teenage Lotte van Lith to an eating disorder. Now, having recovered and reintegrated, she helps gifted people express their intensity with self-compassion—and let loose their incredible creativity in the process.
The Central Intelligence Agency isn’t the sort of place that draws a lot of self-described “creative spirits.” But according to the 9/11 Commission, their presence is sorely needed. How can the CIA—and other highly convergent, formal bureaucracies—best make use of those employees who feel like square pegs in round holes?
Dopamine is about making the future better than the present. That makes contentment hard for dopaminergic people—which includes those people we call gifted and creative—to find contentment. Is there anything we can do about it? Jessie sat down with the authors of The Molecule of More to get their take.
What does it mean to be a divergent thinker? Dr. Deirdre Lovecky of the Gifted Resource Center of New England discusses what drives these individuals to march to the beats of their own drummers—and the challenges they face while doing so.
What does it mean to be “overexcitable?” Where are we most likely to find these people? And why is it an important part of the experience of positive disintegration? Third Factor’s editors offer a basic introduction to Dabrowski’s overexcitabilities.