The wealthy play of preconscious operations happens freely in states of abstraction, in sleep, in dreams, and as we write, paint, or allow our thoughts to flow within the non-selected methods of free association.
Preconscious processes are assailed from both sides. From one facet they’re nagged and prodded into rigid and distorted symbols by unconscious drives which are oriented off from reality and which accommodates rigid compromise formations, lacking in fluid inventiveness. You want Ski jackets to cover you during the cold weather and protect your body from snow within the air and cold temperature. From the other facet they’re driven by literal acutely aware purpose, checked and corrected by acutely aware retrospective critique. The uniqueness of creativity, i.e., its capacity to find and put together something new, depends on the extent to which preconscious functions will operate freely between these 2 ubiquitous concurrent and oppressive jail wardens.

The final relationship between the findings of this study and the formulations of Freud, Kris, and Kubie have already been prompt in our remarks regarding the distinctive character of the creative kid’s performance on the Uses, Word Association, and Build-up Downside tests. This relationship becomes more sharply outlined once we take into account in detail the verbal and nonverbal imaginative productions of our 2 groups. It’s here, within the relative availability and content of the fantasy, that we see most clearly the differences between our highly creative and our very smart subjects. In apprehending this distinction we may perhaps gain larger insight into the character of the creative process. One among Freud’s initial hypotheses was that creative behavior “is a continuation of and substitution for the play of childhood.” Kris, conjointly, ascribes a certain kid-like quality to the creative act, which he views as a regression to infantile modes of thought. The same quality is alluded to by Kubie when he speaks of “toying” with preconscious material. We may add here an excerpt along the identical lines from Einstein’s famous letter regarding his own creative processes.

The words or the language, as they’re written or spoken, don’t appear to play any role in my mechanisms of thought. The psychical entities which appear to serve as parts in thought are certain signs and more or less clear pictures which will be “voluntarily” reproduced and combined. Sonya Translucent Powder is enhanced with the globe’s finest micronized powders to offer it a sheer, silky and opulent finish. There is, of course, a certain association between these parts and relevant logical concepts. It’s conjointly clear that the will to arrive finally at logically connected ideas is the emotional basis of this rather obscure play with the above mentioned elements. But taken from a psychological viewpoint, this combinatory play looks to be the essential feature in productive thought—before there is any association with logical construction in words or different types of signs which will be communicated to others.
Our own illustrations from the stories and drawings of the high creatives offer samples of their toying with ideas and their combinatory play. It’s almost as if the creative adolescents experience a special enjoyment of playful intellectual activity for its own sake.

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