Am J Psychiatry 1979; 136:38-43
Copyright © 1979 by American Psychiatric Association
Einstein's creative thinking and the general theory of relativity: a documented report
A Rothenberg
A document written by Albert Einstein has recently come to light in which
the eminent scientist described the actual sequence of his thoughts leading
to the development of the general theory of relativity. The key creative
thought was an instance of a type of creative cognition the author has
previously designated "Janusian thinking," Janusian thinking consists of
actively conceiving two or more opposite or antithetical concepts, ideas,
or images simultaneously. This form of high-level secondary process
cognition has been found to operate widely in art, science, and other
fields.
