Psychological and visionary modes of creativity : a jungian analysis of westworld towards a potential design pedagogy

Abstract

This study explores the potential pedagogical value Jungian strategies may bring to creativity studies and design education. The study is largely interdisciplinary insofar as it draws from several disciplines including information design, visual studies, analytical psychology and education. Carl Jung’s psychology of art puts forward two modes of creative expression namely: the Psychological and the Visionary. The aim of the study is to establish a distinction between these two creative modes in their use of and approach to images, as well as analyse the interplay between these modes during the creative process, suggesting that engagement with both creative modes may lead to the creation and consumption of images that are inherently more meaningful. Westworld (2016) is selected as a creative text to analyse within Jung’s dialectical framework of Psychological and Visionary creativity. This text affords two layers of analysis which support the overarching aims of the study. Firstly, it allows for exploration of the mechanisms used for and toward creative development in the show which can be understood as a creative production in and of itself. This mirrors a possible approach for students working towards the production of creative outputs. Secondly, it serves as an analogical analysis of indicators of Visionary and Psychological creativity demonstrating the potential of Jungian thinking for approaching real-world creative pedagogy. This mirrors a possible approach for art and design educators assessing, facilitating and developing briefs for creative productions. Jungian developmental theory is synthesised with Piagetian constructivist learning theories and scaffolded upon real-world examples of existing design programmes that already employ these strategies. This ultimately aims at providing educators with possible analogical insights and strategies, and students with conceptual tools towards supporting creative transformation and deeper engagement with the meaningmaking process within design education.