Genius and brilliant people

The question of genius has been asked a long time ago, tried in many ways, discussed many times, many paths taken, and many answers given. However, no one has answered the question about its origins, its nature, structure, and, of course, the most exciting question: “Why him, and not me? After all, I..."

And, naturally, many of the same essays and research papers were written. Take, for example, Cesare Lombroso, who argued that genius is a relative and child of insanity. He made this conclusion based on phrenological portraits (nowadays, only psychologists or sorcerers can determine the personality, character and vices of a person, calling the rest arrogant upstarts).

However, in his work on this topic, “Genius and Madness,” the conclusions do not lie on a plateau of dubious statements bordering on mysticism or prejudices like “signs above the head”...

What is genius

Genius in psychology is the highest form of development of intellectual and (or) creative abilities. Genius is the highest form of activity, when a person himself creates something new, creates, determines patterns, and derives new formulas. There are no boundaries in the thoughts of a brilliant person. He constantly fantasizes, invents, stands out from the crowd. A genius never submits to general opinion, does not follow the majority.

A genius is a person with creative (intellectual) talent. Individuals with this quality are self-sufficient and endowed with talents in one or more areas. What is the meaning of the word "genius"? The term is derived from the Latin word genius, which means “to give birth, to produce.” Thus, a genius is a person with the highest level of development of creative and intellectual abilities that help create, “give birth” to something new, significant for society.

Giftedness, talent, genius

Genius is the next stage in the development of talent. Talent is one of the levels of ability development. There are three of them: giftedness, talent, genius. The abilities themselves also require development; they grow from inclinations.

Let's define each of the concepts:

inclinations are psychophysiological characteristics that create the basis for the development of abilities;
abilities are personality traits that help achieve success in one or more activities;
giftedness is potentially high abilities that allow one to achieve outstanding results in one or more areas;
talent is outstanding abilities in one type of activity, allowing one to achieve success with the help of non-standard solutions;
genius is the highest level of manifestation of intellectual and (or) creative abilities.

The main difference between genius and talent is that it manifests itself. Although this is the third level of development of abilities, a person’s potential is noticeable from birth.

Talent and genius

Every person is endowed with some kind of talent, but not every person is a genius. Genius is noticeable from early childhood. Such children are distinguished by curiosity, activity, and spontaneity. They ask questions “beyond their age” and also reason in a very “grown-up” way. They are passionate about their inner world, and from early childhood they defend individuality and independence.

Every person can become talented. To do this you need to work hard on your abilities. Talent is 99% effort, 1% ability. To become a genius, effort is not enough. You need to have innate characteristics that make a person a genius. However, when assessing genius, time and the culture of a particular society are taken into account. The works of a genius should be ahead of the time in which he lives and contribute to the development of society. Geniuses are the driving force of social progress. They often find themselves misunderstood, become outcasts, and their achievements are often recognized by society only after the death of the author. Genius is closely related to giftedness.

In psychology, genius is considered a deviation in mental development. Most often it is combined with other deviations. As they say in everyday life, all geniuses are not of this world. They also say that a talented person is talented in everything. No, that's not true. But a man of genius is, indeed, a genius in many ways. He achieves success not only in the area of his talent, but also in related areas.

Genius and madness

In psychology, there is a pathological theory according to which genius is closely related to madness. Psychologists came to this conclusion after many years of observing brilliant people. The following mental disorders have been identified:

altered state of consciousness (trance state);
neuroses;
mental disorders;
hypersensitivity;
mood swings;
unconscious creativity.

Geniuses are classified as mentally ill due to a number of strange characteristics that are not a mandatory sign of genius, but are quite common (the patterns between these characteristics and genius have been confirmed experimentally):

virginity and loneliness;
chemical dependencies (drugs, alcohol);
insomnia;
Blue eyes;
eccentricity;
"quirks" or mental disorders.

It is worth noting that mentally ill people rarely manage to create something truly brilliant and significant. Mad people are not endowed with perseverance, accuracy, tenacity of character, or determination. And without this it is impossible to create something brilliant.

Geniuses are born, but without the appropriate conditions for development and work on oneself, genius will be suppressed.

Geniuses are born or become

Genius is an acquired personality trait. However, biological factors also contribute. Thus, genius is a symbiosis of innate and acquired. But unlike talent, in this case innate characteristics play a larger role than social ones. Without work, genius will not manifest itself in all its glory; the inclinations will remain at the level of inclinations. But to become the best at something, a person needs to work a lot on himself, to reveal his potential. Geniuses are born, but without the appropriate conditions for development and work on oneself, genius will be suppressed.

In general, in psychology there is still no single theory about what genius is. According to psychoanalytic theory, genius is the result of sublimation. That is, the direction of sexual energy in a creative direction. Or compensation for one’s shortcomings by developing other qualities. According to the theory of qualitative superiority, geniuses are born. The theory of quantitative superiority reveals the idea that geniuses become under the influence of favorable socio-economic factors.

Definition of the concept

Genius is the highest degree of manifestation of intellectual and creative potential.
Unlike talent, as a rule, it develops in one direction. Often a compensatory effect works: if a person is gifted in something, then he is deprived in something. Talented and brilliant people are people with different development potential. Brilliant qualities originate at the genetic level, talent represents inclinations or abilities. To develop talent, specific conditions are necessary; as for genius, it develops anywhere, in spite of everything.

Geniuses are often not adapted to normal life activities; they think differently from what is accepted in society, and can be very passionate about their field, which is why they will not notice anything around them. While creating brilliant things, they don’t even think about why it’s difficult to find a common language with people.

Geniuses can be evil and good. So, for example, representatives of the first option are Napoleon and Hitler, whose actions brought death, destruction and destruction. Representatives of the good are famous artists and sculptors who, with their creations, benefited society, developed cultural heritage, and brought light and goodness to people.

Genius has a social orientation, an orientation towards changing technical, historical and human characteristics.

Signs of genius

A genius always stands out from the crowd of people. The following signs of genius give him away:

Thinking outside the box. Freedom, independence, self-expression come first for a genius. He has his own opinion on any issue and retains his individuality. He will not obey the majority, rather he is the one who will lead the rest. A genius will find a way out of any situation.
Developed imagination. Geniuses live in their own world. Thanks to their vivid imagination, they create their own reality and come up with something new and unusual. This is how poems, paintings, music are born. This is how discoveries happen.
Activity. Enthusiasm and curiosity are the forces that force a genius to constantly work, learn new things, and develop. He is constantly busy with business. If he fails, he gets back up and comes up with a new way to achieve the goal. Geniuses value and respect themselves. They are confident in their abilities and have adequate self-esteem. Therefore, they strive for maximum self-realization. They are very hardy. If they are not happy with something, they will not put up with it, but will take active steps to improve the situation.
Attention to detail, perfectionism. Creating something new is impossible without a careful assessment of the old, painstaking work on the details of the sketches.
Spontaneity and originality. If an individual comes up with another brilliant idea, he can immediately direct all his efforts to its implementation.

In order to somehow concretize genius, psychologists have compiled a typology of intelligences:

linguistic (writers, poets);
mathematics and logic (scientists, financiers);
spatial-visual (artists, photographers);
musical (composers, musicians);
kinesthetic (athletes);
interpersonal (lawyers, politicians);
intrapersonal (philosophers, psychologists, priests);
naturalistic (botany).

Geniuses have several types of intelligence developed at once. They are distinguished by systematic thinking (divergent thinking), the ability to consider a problem from different angles and see what others do not notice. Geniuses are open to new things, they know how to admit mistakes and learn from them.

Main features

Having creative thinking and understanding your calling are signs of a genius person

Having creative thinking. Such an individual has a non-standard approach to solving problems and issues; he strives to find new approaches and methods, discovering new knowledge, inventing something new in technology, science, and art.
Understanding your calling. Such an individual senses his sphere on a subconscious level and strives for better results. Despite the mistakes that arise, he does not give up and continues to strive for better. Such a person is guided by a higher idea, he wants to achieve something. Often this goal is justified not by personal gain, but by the desire to benefit people.
Having confidence in your abilities. Geniuses feel that they must create something, make their contribution to society. The creations of such people may not be accepted, they may not be recognized during their lifetime due to the fact that they are often ahead of their time. Therefore, geniuses know how to take risks, they are characterized by courage, innovative thinking, and faith in their potential and strength. Such people do not think about possible defeat; they search for ways to achieve their results.
The presence of innate abilities and a special state of mind. We are surrounded by many talented individuals, but not everyone manages to become internationally recognized geniuses.
Availability of productivity in a specific area. Often, geniuses are discovered in one area, for example, it could be science or art. At the same time, in childhood, they, as a rule, do not succeed in school, due to the fact that they focus only on their favorite subjects. The consequences amaze others, since a person may not even graduate from school, but at the same time significantly succeed in life. For example, Einstein did poorly at school, he was considered a retarded child, Maxim Gorky completed only two classes, but became a famous writer. That is why parents should not press their children if they resist some subjects, but are more successful in others. It is better to promote the development of innate abilities and allow self-realization.
Having persistence. A brilliant person will not be weak and spineless, because achieving success is always preceded by great work.
Developed intuition, depth of thought. Geniuses feel that they must create something, make their contribution to society. We should not forget that Chopin dreamed of the music that he later wrote, and Mendeleev saw a table of chemical elements in his dream. That is, the brain of a brilliant person, even at rest, continues to work, solving problems that arise. Geniuses know how to listen to the inner self; they have no intrapersonal conflict.
Having a developed imagination, special attention to detail.
Purposefulness and perfectionism. High efficiency, perseverance to achieve set goals.
Having high levels of energy and self-esteem.
Curiosity, desire to gain new knowledge.
Visualization of thinking, combination of incompatible things.
A specific sense of humor.
The need for constant experimentation.

How to raise a genius

Genius is not inherited. It is impossible to predict the birth of a genius, but it is known that geniuses are more common among boys. Genius parents can give birth to an ordinary child and vice versa. By the way, 1 genius is born per million of average and talented people. Therefore, before asking “How to raise a genius?”, you need to determine whether your child is a genius. If not, then there is no need to “rape” him or force him. Otherwise, sooner or later it will not withstand your pressure and will “explode.”

We have prepared 8 recommendations for parents who want to raise a genius or simply a talented child:

Encourage your child's independence, curiosity and activity.
Play with your child as much as possible. Games also develop activity and curiosity.
Develop your child’s vocabulary and horizons. First, read books to him yourself, and then teach him to read and encourage him to do so.
Communicate with your child as much as possible, involve him in the conversation with questions. Communication promotes intellectual, emotional and linguistic development. Talk to your child as an equal interlocutor, ask for his opinion.
Enroll your child in a music club. This is necessary not only for the development of musical abilities, but also for general development, for the development of memory.
Encourage your child to create with their hands. This is useful for the development of fine motor skills, creativity, and imagination.
Explain the world around the child, attract his attention to interesting things, explain, show, tell.
Lead by example. Be active, creative, positive, purposeful, unique.

Five interesting and useful activities for children:

Invite your child to climb trees. This entertainment, which parents usually do not like, trains self-control. The child learns to fight fears, pacify emotions, think analytically and outside the box (how best to get to the top). Having practiced in the trees, the child will not give in to life's difficulties.
Offer your child a certain amount or other bonus for learning to juggle. This activity develops coordination, attention, determination, and patience. In addition, psychologists have found that after 6 weeks of juggling, the volume of white matter responsible for learning increases by 5%.
Teach your child to play chess. This will teach him to tolerate defeat, learn from mistakes, and think strategically. In addition, chess develops perseverance, attention, and perseverance. The child will learn to make decisions and take responsibility for them.
Praise actions, not victories. This is necessary for the development of self-confidence and adequate self-esteem. If you praise your child's actions, he will learn to appreciate them himself. And he will also understand that sometimes success depends not only on a person’s actions, but also on external circumstances.
Reward for victories and achievements. This builds patience, willpower, and perseverance. The child must understand that the blessings of life are not given just like that.

Consider your child's interests and abilities. Don't force him to do everything or anything you find useful. Don't focus on the idea of raising a genius. Focus on raising a happy, individual child.

To become a genius, or simply a talented person, you need to be a unique person.

Brilliant people of Russia

However, Russia is not deprived of its geniuses. At the very least, the Soviet writer, director and playwright Yevgeny Kharitonov can be safely called a genius. At least for the fact that he said that there are no geniuses, and ordinary people invented them in order to distinguish them from themselves. But it is worth mentioning geniuses who are not associated with art and culture.

This, of course, is Mendeleev, forgive the banality. The merit at least is that man was able to streamline the system of chemical elements, that is, to solve a question that many of the world's chemists and physicists of that time were puzzling over. Further it is worth mentioning Kulibin with his steam engine, the Cherepanov brothers, Polzunov, Ilya Mechnikov, Academician Vernadsky, Pavlov, Tsiolkovsky and many others.

But what is interesting is that these geniuses were often not only specialists in their field, but also often in another. For example, Kulibin and Tsiolkovsky were actively involved in philosophy, and Tsiolkovsky’s expressions about the soul and immortality are still quoted. In certain circles, of course.

The problem of the Russian genius is also present in life. After all, the Russian genius has his own thinking. At the same time, for a long time, Russian genius seemed closed only because the world was not very interested in thinking about the souls of other people, especially when they had their own. Most Russian geniuses were still late in the development of philosophical thought in literature and art, so they took ideas and transformed them into their own. However, there is no doubt that the Russian genius made many breakthroughs in technical terms, as mentioned above. What is it worth just to build a rocket and the first flight into space!