The Handbook of Genius is the first reference work to discuss all aspects of genius, a topic that endlessly provokes and fascinates. Bringing together essays from a multidisciplinary group of contributors, this book covers the origins, characteristics, careers, and consequences of genius.

Table of Contents

• List of Tables
• List of Illustrations
• List of Contributors
• Preface
• References
• Part I Perspectives
• 1 The Genius in History
• The Relationship between History and Genius
• History and the Psychology of Genius
• The Psychology of Genius: Theory Across History
• The Psychology of Genius: Historical Methods
• The Genius in History
• References
• 2 The Psychobiography of Genius
• Introduction
• George W. Bush
• John Lennon
• Truman Capote
• Implicit Prescriptions
• References
• 3 Interviewing Highly Eminent Creators
• Why Interview Eminent Creators?
• Interview Research on Eminent Creators and Its Place in the Study of Creativity
• Major Interview Studies of Eminent Creativity
• Other Interview Research on Creativity
• Best Practices for Interviewing Eminent Creators
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• References
• 4 Psychometric Studies of Scientific Talent and Eminence
• Scientific Talent and Eminence Defined
• Psychometric Investigations of Scientific Talent and Eminence
• Summary and Future Directions
• References
• 5 Historiometric Studies of Genius
• Introduction
• Illustrations
• Conclusion
• References
• Part II Processes
• 6 The Neuroscience of Creative Genius
• What Is Neuroscience?
• What Tools from Neuroscience Can Be Used to Study Creativity?
• What Is Creative Genius?
• How Should a Neuroscientist Identify Subjects for Study?
• What Kinds of Tasks Can Be Used to Assess Creativity Using Neuroimaging Tools?
• What Have We Learned from Our Work So Far?
• Conclusions
• References
• 7 Artistic Genius and Creative Cognition
• Introduction
• Hypotheses
• Visual Arts
• Literary Arts
• Musical Arts
• Comparisons
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• References
• 8 Case Studies of Genius
• Extraordinary Thinking As the Basis for Genius-Level Creativity
• Genius-Level Creativity As the Expression of Ordinary Thought Processes
• Continuity with the Past in Creative Thinking
• Structure in the Creative Process
• Cognitive Components of Creative Thinking: Edison's Invention of the Light Bulb
• External Triggers to Creativity
• The Ordinary Basis for Creative Thinking: Conclusions and Several Remaining Questions
• A Final Question: What Then Is the Basis for Genius?
• References
• 9 Virtual Genius
• Introduction
• Background
• Definition
• Human Examples of Genius
• Computer Examples of Genius
• More Possibilities
• Conclusions
• References
• Part III Attributes
• 10 Varieties of Genius
• Types of Genius
• Conclusions
• References
• 11 Cognitive Disinhibition, Creativity, and Psychopathology
• Creativity and Creative Genius
• Cognitive Disinhibition
• Creativity and Mental Disorders Associated with Disinhibition
• The Shared Vulnerability Model of Creativity and Psychopathology
• Conclusions
• References
• 12 Openness to Experience
• Openness and Personality Structure
• Properties of Openness
• Conceptualizing Openness
• Case Studies of Personality and Genius
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• References
• 13 Political and Military Geniuses
• Measuring the Quality of Political and Military Leadership
• Subject Selection in this Chapter
• Measurement at a Distance
• Methodology of the Current Chapter
• Hypotheses of the Current Study
• Method
• Biographies
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• References
• Part IV Origins
• 14 Genetics of Intellectual and Personality Traits Associated with Creative Genius
• Classical Quantitative Genetic Models in Humans
• Intelligence
• Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence
• Personality and Psychopathology
• Genetic and Environmental Influences on Personality and Psychopatholgy
• Genetic Influences on Miscellaneous Traits Relevant to Creative Genius
• Molecular Genetics and Genius
• Emergenesis
• Autism
• An Aside on Distributions
• Are Geniuses Black Swans, Dragon-Kings, or Hopeful Monsters?
• The Relevance of Dragon-Kings and Hopeful Monsters to Our Understanding of the Emergence of Creative Genius
• References
• 15 Child Prodigies and Adult Genius
• Globally Gifted Children
• Unevenly Gifted Children
• What Does Giftedness in Visual Art and Music Look Like?
• How Much is Innate?
• The Role of Families
• The Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Children
• Implications for Education and Child Rearing
• Childhood Giftedness and Adult Giftedness: No Straight Trajectory
• References
• 16 Creative Genius
• The Traditional View of the Nature of Talent and Creative Genius
• A Review of the Expert-Performance Approach
• Toward an Expert-Performance Account of Creative Contributions
• Concluding Remarks
• Acknowledgments
• References
• 17 Cognitive Processes and Development of Chess Genius
• Introduction
• Previous Attempts to Explain the Existence of Remarkable Achievements in Young Chess Players
• In Search of a New Model of the Development of Chess Expertise
• Cognitive Processes Underlying Chess Expertise
• Mathematical Simulation
• Conclusions and Future Research
• References
• 18 Diversifying Experiences in the Development of Genius and their Impact on Creative Cognition
• Correlational Research
• Experimental Research
• Conclusion and Future Directions
• References
• Part V Trajectories
• 19 The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth at Maturity
• The Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth
• Conceptualizing Talent Development
• Cognitive Abilities
• Interests
• Conation
• Emergence of Genius
• Concluding Thoughts
• Acknowledgments
• References
• 20 Age and Scientific Genius
• Introduction
• Basic Life-Cycle Patterns and Classic Views
• The New Literature: Variation over Time and Across Individuals
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• References
• 21 Musical Creativity over the Lifespan
• Introduction
• Characterizations of Genius
• A Qualitative Sketch of Musical Creativity over the Lifespan
• Methodological Issues
• Theoretical Perspectives on Lifespan Creativity
• Some Unresolved Issues and Future Directions
• Conclusion: Wisdom Revisited
• References
• 22 Literary Geniuses
• The Study of Creative Writers
• What Constitutes Literary Genius?
• Career Trajectories
• The Writer's Personality, Flow, and Emotions
• The Dark Side of Literary Genius
• Writers and Death
• Conclusions
• References
• 23 Lifetime Biopsychosocial Trajectories of the Terman Gifted Children
• Early Characteristics
• Lifelong Pathways
• Intelligence and School Performance: An Early Life Advantage?
• Conclusion: Lifelong Cumulative and Interactional Continuity
• References
• Part VI Contexts
• 24 Evaluating Excellence in the Arts
• Canons
• Rankings
• Conclusions
• References
• 25 The Systems Model of Creativity and Its Applications
• A Brief History of the Concept of Creativity
• Systems Model of Creativity
• Systems Model of Creativity: Some Research Applications
• Systems Model and Construction of Positive Psychology
• References
• 26 Openness to Scientific Innovation
• Introduction
• Planck's Principle: Age and Receptivity
• A Meta-Analytic Approach to Scientific Innovation
• Heterogeneity of Effects
• Initiators of Scientific Innovations
• Conclusion
• References
• 27 Prominent Modern Artists
• Introduction
• Dataset
• Framework of Econometric Analysis
• Location Matters: Peer Effects in the Artistic Clusters of Paris and New York
• Artistic Styles and Implications for Creativity
• Travel as an Inspiration
• Democracy and Creativity
• Conclusion
• References
• 28 Genius in World Civilization
• Introduction
• The Meta-Inventions
• Temporal and Geographic Distribution of Significant Figures and Events from 800 BCE to 1900
• Conclusion
• References
• Part VII Prospects
• 29 Does Genius Science Have a Future History?
• Will Empirical and Theoretical Research Continue to Advance?
• Will the Phenomenon of Genius Continue to Exist?
• Will the Science of Genius Ensure the Continued Existence of Genius?
• References
• Appendix