Manic dedifferentiation and the creative process

For the past decade or more, researchers have found significant correlation s between creative achievement and symptoms of mood disorders, especially b ipolar disorder. While these findings have been intriguing, there has been little or no attempt at explanation, on a psychological level, for these co rrelations. This article sets forth a model for describing the experience o f mania in the vocabulary of psychoanalytic developmental theory: psycholog ical dedifferentiation, which is a restitutive response to loss and can be, at the same time, a cognitive substrate for creative mental activity. Case material from (a) a bipolar patient in psychotherapy, (b) a 2nd bipolar pa tient's psychological testing protocol, and (c) the work of a bipolar artis t are presented in support of the link between manic dedifferentiation and creativity.