The Creative Transformation of Despair, Hate, and Violence

What is it about?

Seemingly endless wars in many regions of the world give this book a disturbing topicality. Wars, climate change and other human catastrophes associated with them make it particularly clear that it is vital to deal with despair, hate, and violence. We encounter this task again and again; it is part of our personal and political lives, whether we like it or not. The creative transformation of human destructiveness is our only chance to cope with the destructive potential of human beings. In the first part of this book, I describe the general principles of human creativity and illustrate them with examples from cultural history and different domains. The “Big Five of Creativity” – talent, skills, motivation, resilience, favorable environ- ments – serve as a guide. I have theoretically researched and tested their interplay practically during three decades of work. Corresponding references can be found in the appendix. In the second part, I use the lives and works of five highly influential pop stars to show how creative coping with crises can succeed, but also fail. In the third part, I draw consequences for a creative lifestyle.

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