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The Science of Interest pp 175–185Cite as

Creative Geniuses, Polymaths, Child Prodigies, and Autistic Savants: The Ambivalent Function of Interests and Obsessions

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Abstract

The impact of interests and obsessions is examined with respect to four types of exceptional personal performance: the creative genius, the polymath, the child prodigy, and the autistic savant. This examination entails seven influential factors: (a) domain-specific expertise, deliberate practice, and the 10-year rule; (b) the genetic and environmental foundations of interests and obsessions; (c) openness to experience, divergent thinking, and cognitive disinhibition; (d) inter- and intradomain versatility; (e) general intelligence; (f) asymmetrical development; and (g) early versus late bloomers. By combining the four types with the seven factors, it becomes evident that the developmental connection between creative achievement and interests or obsessions is extremely complex.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA

    Dean Keith Simonton

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  1. Dean Keith Simonton
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Correspondence to Dean Keith Simonton .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore

    Paul A. O'Keefe

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Judith M. Harackiewicz

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Simonton, D.K. (2017). Creative Geniuses, Polymaths, Child Prodigies, and Autistic Savants: The Ambivalent Function of Interests and Obsessions. In: O'Keefe, P., Harackiewicz, J. (eds) The Science of Interest. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55509-6_9

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