I came to my studies with Dr. Johnston at the Institute for Creative Development thinking I knew something about living systems, personality styles/typology and the creative process in general. I had been reading about living systems since college with my first introduction being Fritof Capra’s book, The Tao of Physics. I had taught personality styles theory and practices to teachers in training at the University of Washington. And I had spent over a decade teaching the creative writing process to children and teens. Yep, I thought I knew a thing or two. And that’s exactly what I knew—a thing or two.
There were so many things yet to know as I was to find out from Dr. Johnston’s first book that we used in the course. The Creative Imperative: Human Growth and Planetary Evolution introduced me to Dr. Johnston’s Creative Systems Theory (CST) with a much larger, wholisitc view of living systems dynamics and a much more focused, comprehensive typology framework. In addition, CST brought me a mind-bending approach to the creative growth process—on par with how Capra’s book boggled me conceptually earlier. For instance, CST presents the creative process—from unformed to new forms—not only for the individual’s growth toward integration, but for culture’s growth as well. I will never forget an afternoon listening to music from tribal cultures to Middle Ages to Renaissance to the 18th Century all the way to the present day while Dr. Johnston explained the “growth” of this music in terms of the creative process framework he devised. There was no denying it! Progress was marked in creative and orderly ways. Plus, the phases of an individual’s creative growth journey from disparate squeaking parts to well-oiled whole-person integration aligned elegantly with musical cultural progression over the ages. Utterly amazing! With abundant evidence in front of our ears, our cohort now had a model to use for other cultural progressions from the nature of civilizations, to the role of politics, to the purpose of religion and change movements, to the shifting of philosophical focus over the centuries, to how art forms and reforms, to the role of new technologies—and the list goes on. Basically, any human creative growth process can be accounted for within Creative Systems Theory. (I invite anybody doubting the helpfulness of typology/personality styles theory to dive deeply into Creative Systems Theory—and then see what emerges upon resurfacing.)
The Creative Imperative was his first book. Dr. Johnston, a psychiatrist and a futurist, has written nine other books since then, along with numerous articles. His latest book: Creative Systems Theory: A Comprehensive Theory of Purpose, Change, and Interrelationship in Human Systems is a necessary read for anyone interested in individual and/or our planet’s growth and future. If you are familiar with The Creative Imperative, this book will extend your thinking about CST. Since the first book was largely about the first half of the creative process; this book moves us further along into what Dr. Johnston call the “second half” of the creative process, including a depth examination of the “transition phase” from first half to second half. If you are totally new to CST, this book is an excellent place to begin since it is a comprehensive compilation of Dr. Johnston’s “50 years of committed inquiry and practical application.” (quote from the back cover.) Start here and you are introduced and expanded at the same time!
Creative Systems Theory is dense because it is in-depth. I was glad to see a glossary of 36 key terms. I would suggest anyone new to CST refer to these often as a way to stabilize fundamental concepts. Here are a few:
Cultural Maturity: This term helps us consider “parallel developmental changes” in the second half of any formative process. Dr. Johnston explains: “Cultural Maturity challenges us to step beyond the absolutist, one-size-fits-all beliefs that come with relating to culture as a symbolic parent.” (p.602). In other words, we must grow up to a more mature relationship to culture so it can mature as well, gaining the capacity to support us for the new growth needed for the chaotic and uncertain future ahead.
Integrative Meta-Perspective: This sounds like a mouthful. I understand it as a metacognition awareness about understanding as much of the whole that we have capacity to understand. Thinking about our own thinking is something teachers, counselors, therapists, and coaches are trained to do. CST adds the dimension of taking into account the both/and (rather than the either/or)—the whole of the situation. Integrative Meta-Perspective enables us to step back and gather that “bird’s eye” view of what is happening so we can see patterns and connections, the “underbelly” of what is happening, enabling a more systemic view. It takes practice and skill to be able to hold more of the whole of reality either for ourselves, a child, a client, a colleague, or a boss. An examination of this concept would profoundly support those in the helping professions and anyone who wants to interface more authentically with an individual, an organization, a social media tweet, or even with themselves through more effective personal reflections and assumption questioning.
The Question of Referent (“Aliveness”): I came across the term “aliveness” as a referent from Appreciative Inquiry and the writings of David Cooperrider. He frames the search for purpose as: Where the aliveness is, you will find the positive core of the organization, family, or individual. In other words, aliveness has a lot to do with what works and where the strengths lie. But this is only half the story. Life is more than what works. Aliveness can also be a quality of what is not working so well. Sad moments, like mourning the death of a loved one, are also poignant moments of aliveness. Remember, Dr. Johnston challenges us to hold the “whole” as much as we can and as difficult and as challenging that may be. I love that he connects aliveness with the creator in us. He assures us: (p. 607)
“Aliveness refers to what in any moment makes us (creatively) more.”
Transitional Absurdities: I am still wrapping my head around this one, but intuitively I think it is an important concept to understand what is going on at the present moment—for example, extreme polarities in politics, lackluster efforts to counter mega tech giants, how disconnected we are from nature (and our own bodies) and our responsibility to the environment, to name a few. Dr. Johnston defines Transitional Absurdities as “the nonsensical ways that reality can appear with Transition’s near absence of creatively germinal (archetypally) feminine values and sensibilities.” Reading about this concept and its role in the transition between the first half of the creative process and the second, help me understand some of the dilemmas I encounter every day. Why would a well-educated couple not think to have their 4 year-old stand up and move—jump up and down, or stretch, or just walk around the room—every 20 minutes in order to get away from the Zoom screen? They know it’s critical for their child to have physical movement more than the teacher was giving which was a break every 90 minutes! Why didn’t the well- informed, well-intentioned parents think of that themselves? Or why, even with mountains to research demonstrating the absolute need for exploratory play for young children’s optimal development, is this not understood nor implemented by most parents of young children? Or why after 20 plus years of mass shootings (45 mass shootings this month alone at the time of this writing) are we still in a gun control debate? Transitional Absurdities.
Creative System Theory provides an innovative, useful, integrative framework for generative transformation, both on individual and cultural levels. Scholars, change agents, and futurists will surely “grok” its vital significance as a guidebook to create a more life affirming future. Others who are interested in applying typology/personality styles, creative process, and systems dynamic principles in their work and daily living will find a deep tool chest of ideas and strategies. For instance, Human Resource executives could study the typology sections and become more adept at matching the right person with the right job. We are in the throes of a strength-based revolution in the workplace. Since the book extends and deepens a “strength-based” approach anyone interested in developing effective teams and organizational leadership, or any entrepreneur interested in making a lasting legacy, need this book.
I am not teaching teens or college anymore. But I see a profound application for using this book with youth—in schools, universities, and homes, too. Youth are indeed our future. I can imagine that if they were steeped in CST they would appreciate better and understood their role more fully in co-creating our future. Youth, many adrift without the anchor of what brings them aliveness in reference to life—would blossom with new awareness about themselves as creative contributors in service to life. With CST’s concepts in their minds, hearts, and bones, along with CST’s precise language and practical applications, they would become “creative systemers,” leading the charge to a new world.
I hope Dr. Johnston creates a CST Workbook for Youth to accompany this book. In the meantime, I encourage parents, grandparents, teachers, and college professors to read through it with their budding creative change agents. If we guide youth well through this book with all its rich dimensions, I know they in turn, will guide us well into the future. I hope I am around 30 years from now to witness their successes. I would love to engage them in “How did you do it?” Once we know that, we could apply what they learned from Creative Systems Theory for the next challenges ahead.
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Copyright, Gloria DeGaetano, 2021. All rights reserved.