… Applying these principles, I identified ten major cognitive patterns that were common to the four people who were examined in the first volume of this book: Aristotle, Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Walt Disney, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In Volumes II and III, I explored the strategies of four other generally recognized geniuses: Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Leonardo da Vinci, and Nikola Tesla. Now is the time to look back and look at these ten patterns of geniuses that I talked about earlier to see if they also work for the second group of geniuses and to see if new patterns have arisen.
1. Highly developed the ability to visualize.
This, of course, is Leonardo da Vinci and Tesla, for whom “the ability to see” and the ability to create visual images were the basis of their creative processes. Albert Einstein also identified his ability to form images and visual constructions as a source of "productive thinking." The only exception seems to be Freud, who clearly emphasized the paramount importance of language in relation to all the senses. However, in the study of the personality of Leonardo and the statue of Moses by Michelangelo, his strong imagination manifested itself: when he wanted to, he could notice the smallest visual clues. Freud's emphasis on dreams and symbols is an undeniable recognition of the importance of visual images and indicates that he himself had the ability to understand and work with constructed visual images.
2. Developed and use multiple connections between the senses.
Whether or not the ability to visualize was at the center of their genius, geniuses tended to use all of their sensory representational systems to one degree or another and could create “synesthesias” between sensations.
Mozart's ability to feel, see and even taste his music is perhaps the best example of this. It may seem that as long as images are just mental pictures, they are unproductive. Both Tesla and Einstein claimed that they could receive strong sensations from their internal visual constructions. Feelings of this kind seem to be very important for making mental images more tangible. Leonardo's discovery of sound waves was born from the fact that he was able to connect the rings that appeared on the surface of the water from the fall of a pebble with the sound of a bell. Freud argued that “words evoke emotion” and described how he was emotionally moved by works of art and literature. Freud's therapeutic methods of analysis and interpretation were ultimately developed in order to
3. Use multiple perspectives.
An important characteristic of genius is his ability to use several different perspectives when considering a particular subject or process. Genius is often born from the discovery of a new perspective that no one has ever used before. Indeed, Leonardo equated “knowledge” with the possession of at least three different planes of some object or phenomenon. Einstein's theory of relativity is essentially a description of the interaction of different perspectives. Freud's analytical methods, as illustrated by his exploration of the personality of Leonardo and the sculpture of Moses, were developed to discover details that did not fit into familiar perspectives and to find a completely new point of view.
4. Have a highly developed ability to move to different positions of perception.
In addition to the ability to stand on different points of view, geniuses have the ability to identify with different positions of perception: with the first (myself), second (other) and third (observer). They go beyond their beliefs and assumptions, "get into the shoes" of other people and perceive the situation as if they were outsiders. Disney's ability to identify with their cartoon characters, as well as their audiences, is a good demonstration of this skill. In Freud's model, his approach to “transference” recognizes the lack of “getting stuck” in one perceptual position and identifies specific paths to shifting perspectives (such as using a mirror and changing the inner state) in order to evaluate one's work. Einstein viewed the universe in such a way like flying on a light beam or being in the reality of a two-dimensional being. Tesla, in fact, took a position of perception in the future and created new realities from where the world could be observed.
5. Have the ability to easily move from one level of thinking to another and use “pieces of information” of different sizes.
Geniuses seem to be able to move easily from a broad vision to the concrete actions necessary to clearly observe a larger picture. Leonardo, for example, drew an analogy between “macrocosm” and “microcosm”. He constantly decomposed the objects of his research into their constituent components and then synthesized them in new configurations. He could work with small pieces and at the same time keep his mind “open” to the whole. Freud's main method of analysis was to search for details (strange entries in Leonardo's notebook and subtle anomalies in the statue of Moses), and then use them in order to create a new interpretation of the whole. Tesla claimed that his method of “materializing inventive concepts and ideas” allowed him to “embody inventions in any possible improvement” and at the same time “not lose sight of the great principles underlying them”. Einstein's “unified field theory” was aimed at establishing connections between all physical phenomena in the Universe - from space to the atom.
6. Maintain a feedback loop between the abstract and the concrete.
Geniuses are capable of moving from abstract models and principles to concrete incarnations of these abstractions and vice versa. They create their works through a constant process of exchange between mental constructions and physical reality. This creates a loop that allows geniuses to refine their theories through feedback from the real world; loop, at the same time allowing you to improve your material work through feedback from more abstract principles. Leonardo, for example, strove to embody such abstract concepts and characteristics as "proportion" and "beauty" in his paintings and drawings. He gained his understanding of the "forces of nature" from experience and observation, and then built machines and created his drawings in order to "demonstrate" these fundamental principles. Freud built psychological theories from working with patients, and then applied them to create new therapeutic methods. Many of Tesla's inventions include such abstract and invisible phenomena as electromagnetic energy and wave frequencies, and yet the machines he created in his mind worked just like the real ones. According to Einstein, the only justification for a theory is "the measure of the view of experience from our senses that we can achieve with it."
7. Maintain the balance of cognitive functions: Dreamer, Realist and Critic.
Tesla, Leonardo da Vinci, Freud and Einstein were dreamers to some extent. This was a big part of their genius. But they had the ability and skill to find concrete expression for their dreams and were able to critically evaluate their ideas. In a sense, the ability to think critically is just as important to the work of a genius as the ability to dream. It is this ability that makes the ideas of a genius outstanding. Leonardo left us not only strategies for teaching how to dream, but also a number of strategies for drawing and evaluating our work. The essence of Freud's work was the understanding of the relationship between dreams and desires aimed at external reality, as well as balancing the “pleasure principle” with the “reality principle” (between his “Id”, “Ego” and “Super-Ego ”There are many parallels with the dreamer, the realist and critic). Tesla claimed
8. Ask basic questions.
Geniuses tend to think more about questions than about answers. Of course, the key characteristic of all geniuses is their irrepressible childish curiosity and admiration for the object of their research. Recall a quote from Leonardo's anatomical studies. In his notebooks, he asked himself countless questions, trying, like Aristotle, to find “primary principles” in nature. Instead of focusing on answers, Tesla created whole new worlds in his imagination, and only then thought about how to make them become reality. Indeed, a genius asks more direct questions than he looks for “right” answers. Part of genius seems to be the belief that in the end there can be no right answers. According to Einstein, "we will never know the real nature of things, never." Instead of trying to lean on what we already know and hold on to it, geniuses are looking for areas in which their knowledge is incomplete. For example, Freud argued that we must be ready “to leave the path that we have followed for some time if we see that it does not lead in the right direction”. Instead of seeing lack of success as “failure” or “failure,” geniuses see it as feedback that tells them where to look next. As one inventor whose work I have researched said: Failure is simply a different solution to a problem than the one I am currently working on. ”Geniuses see this as a feedback that tells where to look next. As one inventor whose work I have researched said: Failure is simply a different solution to a problem than the one I am currently working on. ”Geniuses see this as a feedback that tells where to look next. As one inventor whose work I have researched said: Failure is simply a different solution to a problem than the one I am currently working on. "
9. Use metaphors and analogies.
Geniuses constantly use metaphors and lateral, or non-linear, thought strategies. Metaphor or analogy seems to be at the center of every action of a genius. To explain the process of making music, Mozart drew an analogy with cooking a dish in which pieces of food are put. Einstein, who, while formulating and explaining his theories, used metaphorical constructions: a blind beetle crawling on a ball, a person in an elevator moving in space thanks to some imaginary being; flat world of two-dimensional creatures. Often, the use of metaphor helps focus on the more important deeper structures of the subject. Leonardo, for example, used the analogy between the Earth and the human body as a way of organizing his work on anatomy and drew the analogy with the hair in order to understand the principles underlying the movement of water. Tesla formulated his idea of robots, drawing an analogy with the work of his own nervous systems. Freud, of course, mainly focused on the metaphorical meaning of symbols and dreams as a way of understanding the symptoms of his patients.
10. Have a mission that goes beyond their own identity.
One thing all geniuses have in common is that they perceive their work as something that serves something greater than themselves. In the introduction to his work on anatomy, Leonardo boldly remarked, "I want to do miracles," even if that means he will "have less peace in his life than other people" and he will have to "live in extreme poverty for a long time. "Tesla developed his visualization abilities in order to" make excursions beyond the small world "of which he possessed knowledge. About the reasons for his study of physics, Einstein wrote: "I want to know the thoughts of God, everything else is details." He further argued: "All methods are only a blunt instrument, if there is no living spirit behind them. "Freud believed that".
Source: Robert Dilts "STRATEGIES OF GENIUS"
