When you think about it, visionaries and inventors like Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak became as well-known for bucking the system and creating controversy as they were for Apple computers. And Galileo Galielei, who was pivotal in the development of modern astronomy, spent the last years of his life under house arrest for his divergent scientific views.
Historically, innovation and acceptance have not gone hand in hand. A recent article in Psychology Today looks at three studies that theorize about the idea that social rejection, for people who have an independent self image, may fuel creativity.
From the piece:
Across three studies, Sharon Kim, Lynne Vincent, and Jack Goncalo explicitly rejected participants by telling them they were not selected to be in a group. In another condition, they told participants they would join the group after completing some tasks. After either being rejected or accepted, participants were then given 7 minutes to complete a measure of creativity called the Remote Associations Test (RAT), in which they were asked to find a word that connects three seemingly unrelated words (e.g., fish, mine, and rush; see answer at the end)…
…The results suggest that rejection may not merely be a result of the unconventionality of creative people but that the actual experience of rejection may promote creativity. What's more, the effects depend on a person's self-concept. For those who are highly invested in belonging to a group by affirming their feelings of independence, rejection may constrain them. But for those scoring sky high in a need for uniqueness, the negative consequences of rejection on creativity may be mitigated and even reversed.
All of these results suggest that rejection may not merely be a result of the unconventionality of creative people but that the actual experience of rejection may promote creativity. What’s more, the effects depend on a person’s self-concept. For those who are highly invested in belonging to a group by affirming their feelings of independence, rejection may constrain them. But for those scoring sky high in a need for uniqueness, the negative consequences of rejection on creativity may be mitigated and even reversed.
While rejection and isolation aren't pleasant, and are actually things many of us actively avoid, it seems there could be great benefit in becoming aware of how we respond to these things. Do we let them define us or use them to our advantage to stimulate growth and self-esteem?
Jen Baxter is a freelance writer and photographer. After spending eight years working for Kaiser Permanente Health plan she took a self-imposed sabbatical to travel around South East Asia and become a blogger. She enjoys writing about nutrition, meditation, and mental health, and finding personal stories that inspire people to take responsibility for their own well-being. Her website and blog can be found at www.jenbaxter.com.
Previously: To get your creative juices flowing, start moving, Medicine X symposium focuses on how patients, providers and entrepreneurs can ignite innovation and Stanford Medicine X partners with IDEO to create design challenge
Photo By: Lloyd Dangle
