Abstract
Do we need reflexivity in order to be creative? Many would probably be inclined to see a connection between a contemplative attitude and creativity, an image deeply rooted in our (frequently) romantic conception of the genius (Montuori & Purser, 1995). Rodin’s well-known sculpture ‘The Thinker’ embodies this association, but it also opens up the question of what the creator is actually reflecting on. Reflexivity, as commonly defined in dictionaries, suggests turning towards oneself and, in this sense, if we assume Rodin’s ‘Thinker’ is engaged in an act of reflexivity, perhaps he is deeply immersed in thought about his own condition. Is he self-absorbed? There is a crucial difference to be made between reflection and reflexivity. The old story of Narcissus tells us he was so much in love with his own image, his own reflection (in the water), that he drowned trying to reach it. Turning towards oneself, in order to foster creative action, needs, on the contrary, to create a distance between observer and observed, not collapse these two positions.
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© 2016 Constance de Saint-Laurent and Vlad Petre Glăveanu
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de Saint-Laurent, C., Glăveanu, V.P. (2016). Reflexivity. In: Glăveanu, V.P., Tanggaard, L., Wegener, C. (eds) Creativity — A New Vocabulary. Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137511805_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137511805_15
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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