Safadaran, Hossein (2014) An examination of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's systems model of creativity in selected plays of postwar English political theater / Hossein Safadaran. PhD thesis, University of Malaya.
Abstract
This thesis explores through scholarly discourse of creativity in the workings of Postwar English Political Theater from 1976 to 1984. Particularly it tries to specify to what extent the selected plays are congruent with Csikszentmihalyi‘s Systems Model of Creativity. While English Political Theater in the 1970s was distancing itself from the discourse of insanity, a scholarly discourse of creativity was evolving. In this context, I will try to scaffold four less explored political works, Edward Bond‘s The Fool, Tom Stoppard‘s Professional Foul, Howard Brenton‘s The Genius and Howard Barker‘s Scenes from an Execution by projecting the Systems Model of Creativity (SMC), into these plays to reveal the efficacy of creativity toward better life. SMC theories creativity through the interaction of Domain (knowledge, rules, and values), Field (judicial community), and Person (practitioner). Since Post WWII was not only immune to anxieties, dilemmas, boredom, and discontent with the status quo; Csikszentmihalyi‘s Model in combination with his theory of ―flow‖ i.e. between anxiety and boredom, is empowering to avoid this impasse. The quest for flow means working for autotelicity, the reward of working for own sake. It is to win through with a small ―c‖ creativity rather than capitalized ―C‖ thereby promoting our psychosocial well-being. In transcending beyond theater, the selected plays feast on metaphorical cheating violence of its power. Although in despair, the creative personas in these plays were able to advance professionally and optimistically.
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