Creativity and nonlinear dynamical systems

Abstract

In a recent article entitled “The Order - Chaos Dynamic of Creativity,” Lambert (2020) applied a Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) approach to historic paradoxes in creativity. He described dialectical tensions along different continua, namely knowledge vs. naivete, psychological health vs. psychiatric disorders, mindfulness vs. mind-wandering, executive attention vs. default network, convergent vs. divergent thinking, and extroverted vs. introverted traits. This article extends Lambert's ideas of dynamic flexibility and change along continua such as these, tying them to other themes in Nonlinear Dynamical Systems (NDS) theory (also sometimes known as chaos theory). This article argues for 1) “leveling down” to find the nonlinearity in relationships that underlie creativity. It discusses 2) the role of emergence in creativity, healthy human life, and evolutionary theory, and describes 3) finding patterning in our research observations. A 4) simple model of creative dynamics is reviewed and generalized to the use of Somewhat-complicated Systems (SCS) models in psychology. Implications for 5) creative intervention are discussed, as well as the importance of 6) engaging with new NDS worldviews as we make our way into the human future.