2001．第29卷第1期（Vol. 29 No. 1）．pp. 1–15
The Mad Genius Controversy: Does the East Differ from the West?
「瘋子天才」的爭議：東西文化的差異
David W. CHAN（陳維鄂）
Abstract
The mad genius controversy was briefly reviewed through examining the evidence from early biographical studies to more recent systematic studies with clinical diagnoses. The connection between creativity and depression was then examined in terms of the characteristics of disturbance in mood, irrationality, and cognitive processes typical of both creative individuals and individuals afflicted with manic-depressive disorders. The observation that there were few reports on eminent creative individuals in Chinese society afflicted with debilitating psychiatric conditions is discussed in the light of an alternative interpretation of the creativity-depression connection among Chinese poets in Chinese history.
摘要
N.A.