The fabled connection
between genius and madness is no longer merely anecdotal. Mounting
research shows these two extremes of the human mind really are linked
and scientists are beginning to understand why.
What is Normalcy ?
Normalcy is the condition of being normal; the state of being usual, typical, or expected.
- Intelligent people form a fraction of total population due to their high intelligence they may act in ways different from that of a normal guy.
- Intelligent people like to have intellectual discussions, many of their ideas may not be comprehended by normal guys. So the majority might confuse his intelligence for having some sort of mental illness.
Problems faced by intelligent people
These
individuals are to various degrees less social, more self-centered, and
aloof. They may exhibit remarkable “learned” affability and civility,
but they are, to various degrees, inner-directed, autonomous, and
deficient in empathy and connectedness. They tend to “think” the world
rather than “feel” it. Persons with this temperament, behave oddly and
are often perceived as fickle, idiosyncratic, peculiar, or strange. They
are often dysphoric and tend to feel an “inner void, and aloneness
within.
Tortured Genius
There
exists an association between creativity and major mental disorders
known since antiquity. The ancient Greeks considered both as “having
been touched by the gods.” Aristoteles, in his perspicacity, stated, “There is no genius without having a touch of madness.”
Eg : Shakespeare, Van Gough , Michaelangelo and Mozart have varying degress of genius.
This
is idea that suffering is necessary for art is hotly debated among
artists and scientists. While it is important not to dismiss anyone’s
feelings or experience, the fact that mental illness influences those
feelings cannot and should not be ignored in the process of improving
overall health. Bipolar disorder, depression, addiction and other
psychiatric/psychological disorders are debilitating and
life-threatening conditions, and although society may benefits from
theproductivity of these geniuses, their health must be taken into
consideration.
Often, when people are creating something new, they end up straddling between sanity and insanity.
The
most famous, most iconic tortured artist—the original—is Vincent van
Gogh. Today, he would probably be diagnosed as bipolar, or possibly
schizophrenic. He had psychotic episodes, he was sectioned, and he
allegedly cut off part of his ear . Van Gogh spent his final year in an
asylum. He committed suicide. His paintings seem to telegraph his inner
turmoil. The stars on the canvas burn too brightly. Each brushstroke
appears laden with madness.
If
Van Gogh’s illness was a blessing, the artist certainly failed to see
it that way. In one of his last letters, he voiced his dismay at the
disorder he fought for so much of his life: “Oh, if I could have worked
without this accursed disease - what things I might have done.”
GENETIC FACTORS
Scientists
in Iceland report that genetic factors that raise the risk of bipolar
disorder and schizophrenia are found more often in people in creative
professions. Painters, musicians, writers and dancers were, on average,
25% more likely to carry the gene variants than professions the
scientists judged to be less creative, among which were farmers, manual
labourers and salespeople.
The scientists drew
on genetic and medical information from 86,000 Icelanders to find
genetic variants that doubled the average risk of schizophrenia, and
raised the risk of bipolar disorder by more than a third. When they
looked at how common these variants were in members of national arts
societies, they found a 17% increase compared with non-members.
CONCLUSION
But
this doesn’t mean all mentally ill people have a genius IQ. It also
don’t conclude that all genius are mentally ill. But unfortunately
chances for them to have mental illness is higher than normal.
Questions much similar to this have been answered. please check it out
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