The Coincidence of
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder and Creativity by Bonnie Cramond, Ph.D., The University of
Georgia, March 1995
[Published by the National Research Center for the Gifted
and Talented (affiliated with Yale, University of Connecticut, University of Georgia, and
the University of Virginia)]
Review by Teresa Gallagher. You can also read the original article by BonnieCramond.
For this paper, Dr. Bonnie Cramond compared decades of
research from two seemingly disparate fields of study: attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) and creativity. She suggests, after a detailed comparison of the two
groups, that there may be a common temperament which favors the development of behavior
which is characteristic of both ADHD and creativity.
Creativity is not confined to the arts but is used by
inventors, entrepreneurs, and researchers, all of whom rely on it to arrive at new ideas.
Our most famous inventors and artists were generally not
well rounded, normal individuals who did well in school. In her introduction, Dr. Cramond
describes how their differences may have actually contributed to their creativity:
"Robert daydreamed so much that he was put out of
school. Frank went into such trancelike dreams that one had to shout at him to bring him
back. Equally problematic were Sam's restlessness and verbal diatribes. Virginia, too,
demonstrated a tendency to talk on and on. Thomas experienced school problems, in part
because of his high energy. Nick's tendency to act without thinking caused him to have
several scrapes with death and near-tragedies, such as plunging to the earth from the roof
of a barn, clutching an umbrella. In these examples we can see how the concentration, high
energy, and unique ways of thinking and behaving that were exemplified by Robert Frost,
Frank Lloyd Wright, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Virginia Woolf, Thomas Edison, and Nikola
Tesla resulted in school problems, dark diagnoses, or worse. These are examples of
creative individuals whose behavior could also be interpreted as the inattention,
impulsivity, and hyperactivity of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder."
"In some cases the very qualities that cause creative
individuals to have problems are the same ones that may facilitate in their creative
accomplishments. Edison's energy, the vivid imagery in the daydreams of Frost and Wright,
and Einstein's alternative mode of thinking created problems for them in school, but were
undoubtedly invaluable in their creative endeavors."
ADD is described by the medical community as a
"neurological defect" because differences in brain structure and chemistry have
been identified. Dr. Cramond notes that similar findings have been reported by creativity
researchers, although these differences have not been identified as defects. For example,
differences in the left vs. right hemisphere activity have been noted for both groups. One
researcher reported that ADHD children "exhibited greater crossed eye-hand dominance
and left laterality than a group of normal children matched by age, sex, and IQ. The ADHD
group also had higher figural creativity and more use of imagery in problem solving."
ADDers were found to have a greater number of spontaneous
thoughts during problem solving exercises. In one case this information was actually used
to solve the problem. ADDers were therefore determined to have less control over their
thought processes. On the other hand, the spontaneous thoughts were also thought to be
potential precursors to ideas, so an ADDer with more spontaneous thoughts would tend to
have more ideas and therefore be more creative.
Dr. Cramond compared some ADD traits to descriptions of
creative people.
Inattention:
"Creative people are described as having a broad range
of interests and showing a tendency to play with ideas, sometimes losing interest in one
to take up another."
ADDers have trouble staying "on task." They
bounce from one activity to another. The inventor Tesla was so busy chasing new ideas that
he tended not to follow through on older ones. As a result, his competitors were able to
seize his concepts as their own. And Leonardo
da Vinci, who is known for his paintings, only managed to finish 17 paintings during
his 67 years as a painter. Da Vinci said this was because his interests were "so many
and so diverse."
Dr. Cramond argues, as have others, that apparent
inattention is often the result of daydreaming or focusing on internal thoughts. Creative
people have a tendency to concentrate on their inner workings. Robert Frost was dropped
from school for daydreaming, although he may have been composing poetry in his head.
Hyperactivity: Dr. Cramond identifies several studies which describe
creative people as having unusually high energy levels. For example, "When comparing
a more and less creative group, Gallagher (1986) discovered that students who scored in
the top third on a figural test of creativity had significantly higher Psychomotor
Overexcitability scores than those who scored in the bottom third on the creativity
test."
Other traits:
Creative people and ADDers are both described as having difficult temperaments, deficient
social skills, and they often do poorly in school.
The "Low
Arousal" Hypothesis: One
of the major theories on the neurological basis of ADD is the concept of the "low
arousal" brain type. In order to receive a satisfying amount of neurochemicals in the
brain, the ADDer must receive a high level of mental stimulation. An ADDer in the absence
of a stimulating environment is similar to a drug addict who needs a fix: he or she
becomes irritable and difficult. This is often perceived as boredom intolerance by the
ADDer.
Dr. Cramond cited a study by F.H. Farley, who proposed the
following:
"The search for variety and intensity of stimulation
of the low arousal individual will lead to the openness to experience, the flexibility,
risk taking, high energy level, preference for complexity, playfulness, receptivity to new
and novel ideas and experiences, and so on that are held to be characteristic of the
creative person, as well as the flexibility of performance, generation of performance
variety, novelty, complexity, and so on that are often held to be important attributes of
creative performance. Thus, the personality attributes of the creative individual, as well
as the characteristics of creative performance, are seen as in part deriving from or
serving the sensation-seeking motive."
Conclusions:
Dr. Cramond reflected on the similarities of both groups:
"Perhaps what differentiates individuals who use their
rapid ideation to create versus those who are disruptive and unproductive is the talent
and opportunity to express their energies and ideas in some creative mode."
She also made several recommendations for parents of ADHD
children:
- Be open minded that difficult behavior may be indicative of
special abilities.
- Choose a psychologist who is knowledgeable about giftedness
and creativity as well as ADD.
- Be sure that a creativity test or checklist is completed in
addition to the ADHD checklist.
- Get a second opinion.
- Be cautious about recommendations for medication.
- Be cautious about recommendations for an unstimulating
curriculum with lessons broken into small parts.
- Provide opportunities both inside and outside of school to
enhance creativity and build self-esteem.
Dr. Bonnie Cramond continues to work on gifted and creative
issues at the University of Georgia. (See the Torrance Center for
Creative Studies).
This paper is online or you can
order a copy from the University of Connecticut using the ordering form below. This paper
has a great deal of additional information and I recommend it to anyone with an interest
in alternative views of ADD. I have copied the order form here from the National Research
Center for the Gifted and Talented for convenience.
Ordering Information
The Coincidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Creativity
by Dr. Bonnie Cramond
Full Length Paper Order No. 9508 - $6
Make checks payable to University of Connecticut. Purchase orders accepted for
orders over $100 only. Price includes U.S. postage/handling, foreign orders add 15% for
postage; state tax does not apply. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. Unused
materials are accepted for return within a period of 30 days from date of shipment and
must be in undamaged, salable condition. No orders are accepted through electronic mail.
Fax orders will be accepted only if purchase order is included.
Mail your order to:
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|
Research for Dr. Cramond's report report was supported
under the Javits Act Program (Grant No. R206R00001) as administered by the Office of
Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Grantees undertaking
such projects are encouraged to express freely their professional judgement. This report,
therefore, does not necessarily represent positions or policies of the Government, and no
official endorsement should be inferred.
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