The (Re)Source of Creativity: A Psychoanalytic Reading of Dr. Seuss's You're Only Old Once!
In this article, I use Sigmund Freud's 'Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming' to provide an explanation for the creativity of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Freud suggests that creative writing is a substitutionary form of play that is (1) related to the present in that the w...
| Published in: | Pastoral psychology |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Springer Science Business Media B. V.
2015
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| In: |
Pastoral psychology
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| RelBib Classification: | TJ Modern history TK Recent history ZD Psychology |
| Further subjects: | B
Theology
B Freud, Sigmund, 1856-1939 B SEUSS, Dr., 1904-1991 B Daydreams B Psychological research B Creative writing B Creativity B Play B Sigmund Freud B Psychoanalysis B Theodor Geisel B Fantasy B Resourcefulness |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In this article, I use Sigmund Freud's 'Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming' to provide an explanation for the creativity of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Freud suggests that creative writing is a substitutionary form of play that is (1) related to the present in that the writing is the product of some current activity or happening; (2) linked to a past (usually infantile) experience of the fulfillment of a wish; and (3) representative of a vision of the future where the current wish is fulfilled. In his essay, Freud did not interpret any particular piece of creative writing in light of an author's personal experience to validate his theory. He offered, rather, abstract speculations. In this article, I do focus on a particular piece of creative writing in light of an author's personal experience; I offer a psychoanalytic reading of Geisel's You' re Only Old Once! In doing so, I emphasize the resourcefulness of Geisel in that Geisel used creative writing in the present to come to terms with the past and to give himself a better future. In conclusion, I go beyond noting Geisel's practical strategies of resourcefulness by offering a theological reflection on what the spirit of Geisel's creativity might mean for pastors. |
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| ISSN: | 1573-6679 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Pastoral psychology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1007/s11089-014-0624-2 |