The term genius is peculiar. It can be applied to a diversity of phenomena or confined to just one or two. The tremendous range in usage reflects the fact that genius is both a humanistic concept with a long history and a scientific concept with a much shorter history. The word genius goes way, way back to the time of the ancient Romans. Roman mythology included the idea of a guardian spirit or tutelary deity. This spiritual entity was assigned to a particular person or place. Expressed differently, geniuses exert influence over others. They have an impact on both contemporaries and posterity. The exemplars of intelligence have a feature in common: They are called as exceptional creators. The favored definition is that creativity satisfies few separate requirements. First, to be creative is to be original. In main, genius in the leadership domain of achievement appears to fall into several groups.

This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book attempts to contribute to improving children’s lives by providing a comprehensive and effective treatment protocol. To enhance treatment efficacy and improve the trajectory for children’s lives, case conceptualization in child psychotherapy must integrate developmental theory, neuroscience, and best practice models into clinical practice. The book reviews some of the latest research on attachment and neuroscience that impacts case conceptualization in child psychotherapy. In 1989, Shapiro proposed a new treatment approach she entitled eye movement desensitization (EMD) and, later, eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) to treat trauma. After reviewing the major theories of attachment and Schore’s current rendition that he labels self-regulation theory, the book offers a foundation for therapists to use develop-mentally grounded theory through the lens of adaptive information processing (AIP) to treat attachment issues in clients of all ages.

The idea of the mad genius persisted all the way to modern times and was even promulgated in scientific circles. Not only was genius mad, but it was associated with criminality and genetic degeneration. The empirical research relevant to the mad-genius issue uses three major methods: the historiometric, the psychometric and the psychiatric. The historical record is replete with putative exemplars of mad genius. The mental illness adopts a more subtle but still pernicious guise-alcoholism. In fact, it sometimes appears that alcoholism is one of the necessities of literary genius. Psychopathology can be found in other forms of genius besides creative genius. Of the available pathologies, depression seems to be the most frequent, along with its correlates of suicide and alcoholism or drug abuse. Family lineages that have higher than average rates of psychopathology will also feature higher than average rates of genius.

This chapter provides information for therapists to integrate theories of neuroscience into the practice of child psychotherapy. Neuroscientists have described how the brain develops, documented the impact of external experiences on the developing brain, and integrated theories of neurodevelopment and neuroplasticity into our understanding of the impact of our interpersonal relationships on our brain. The chapter focuses on developmental trauma disorder and the research on the impact of trauma on children. The majority of the research on trauma in children has focused on the assessment and diagnosis of Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, there are a limited number of studies that have documented the efficacy of the treatment of PTSD in children. The chapter reviews diagnoses specific to neurodevelopment, including autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing disorders (SPD).

Creativity, like genius, was once viewed as a spiritual phenomenon. In ancient times, to be creative was to be divine. Almost every human culture had its creation myth recounting the miraculous accomplishments of some spiritual power. The immortal Muse provided a guiding spirit or source of inspiration for the mortal creator. As Western civilization became more secular in emphasis, and especially during the enlightenment, the concept of creative genius lost its sacred accoutrements. Francis Galton argued that geniuses are those who possess an exceptional amount of natural ability. That is, geniuses would score in the upper tail of the normal distribution in intelligence, enthusiasm, and perseverance. Galton was the first to inquire about the impact of birth order, an unmistakably environmental variable. This chapter discusses the effect of environmental factors and the effect of genetics. Behavioral genetics is the scientific discipline committed to understanding how genes affect behavior in animals.

This chapter discusses four sub disciplines of psychology: cognitive, developmental, differential, and social. It shows that psychologists need a four-pronged attack on the phenomenon known as genius. The cognitive neurosciences have made major advances using a diversity of techniques, from evoked potentials to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Moreover, such methods have shed some light on many processes connected with genius, such as problem solving and insight. The age-achievement relationship is the oldest topic in the scientific study of genius, the first study having appeared in 1835. For most domains of achievement, the greatest geniuses are distinguished by the longest careers. The empirical data on the age-achievement connection are well established. Undoubtedly the relationship between age and achievement is partly rooted in basic human physiology and neurology. This connection is most obvious in the case of athletic champions.

This chapter concentrates on the nature of intelligence and the nature of domain expertise. It examines three alternative positions on the nature of cognitive ability: unified intellect, diverse intellect and hierarchical intellect. Historiometric studies suggest that historiometric genius correlates at between.25 and.35 with estimates of psychometric genius. Whether intelligence is unified or multiple, all budding geniuses must go through some sort of apprenticeship period in which they acquire the expertise that will enable them to make original and exemplary contributions to their chosen domain of achievement. To understand the difference between algorithms and heuristics, and to appreciate their relevance to an understanding of the nature of genius, the chapter takes a glance at two kinds of computer programs that engage in problem solving of a rather high order: expert systems and discovery programs. In any case, most expert systems operate according to algorithms rather than heuristics.

This chapter discusses some of the more obvious choices therapists make in providing professional services to children, as well as reviews other decisions that therapists don’t learn in graduate school but often encounter in reality. It delves into the pragmatics of providing child psychotherapy with considerations for therapists who are in the trenches every day. In developmentally grounded child psychotherapy, the therapist is exploring the child’s symptoms within a developmental framework while gathering data to assist with diagnosis, treatment planning, and psychotherapy. Parents are important sources about the child’s symptoms and treatment goals and may also participate in the child’s psychotherapy. The therapist may need to teach the parent about using behavioral management skills with the child. Referring a parent to parenting classes can reinforce the parent’s feelings of importance and create a therapeutic alliance with the therapist.

This chapter reviews theories that speculate how love and our earliest relationships impact health and well-being. From the theories of attachment and bonding described by Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, John Bowlby, Harry Harlow, Mary Ainsworth, Mary Main, and T. Barry Brazelton, to the more recent theories of developmental neuroscience described by Allen Schore, Daniel Seigel, and Bruce Perry, the chapter explores why that first relationship is essential in every aspect of healthy development. Even though bonding and attachment have been explored in the literature on human development and psychotherapy for over 100 years, it is only in the last 2 decades that these theories have been considered integral aspects of psychotherapy. The clinical relationship and therapeutic process can address early childhood relationship damage. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of how the therapeutic relationship impacts the efficacy of child psychotherapy.

Children are exposed to distress, violence, and trauma even before they are born. In-utero and early childhood exposure can contribute to severe medical and psychological consequences. Children who have been exposed to such traumatic events often arrive at the psychotherapist’s office with emotional and behavioral symptoms suggestive of reactive attachment disorder (RAD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and dissociation. This chapter reviews relevant theories of dissociation integrated with theories of development to provide a summary of how attachment impacts dissociation. With a developmentally grounded theory of dissociation, the chapter describes clinical interventions for treating the dissociative sequelae of attachment trauma in children. This theoretical framework offers a developmentally grounded and integrative framework for working with children with complex trauma and dissociation. Symptoms of dissociation are common with PTSD, but an extreme response to trauma can be dissociation and dissociative disorders.