Kahoud, D. (2013)

Messages In A Bottle: Omnipotent Fantasies in Creativity and Substance Abuse

Dustin Kahoud, M.S.

Chair: Danielle Knafo, Ph.D.

Committee: Geoff Goodman, Ph.D.

Spyros Orfanos, Ph.D.

For as far as records can tell, accounts of both creative processes and psychoactive drug use have provided evidence of humankind’s eternal search for something beyond its natural limitations—a sense of power and vitality previously unattainable (Boon, 2002). Artists, musicians, and writers throughout history have provided personal narratives articulating their omnipotent fantasies of possessing the power to “fix” the human condition—transforming both the internal world as well as external reality. In many of these narratives, creativity and substance abuse are often nourished by elements of the same wellspring—the fantasies, beliefs and patterns of relatedness rooted in narcissistic illusions.

Since the early 20th century, psychodynamic thinkers have highlighted omnipotent fantasies as a psychological force driving creative processes as efforts toward personal transformation (Becker, 1973/1997; Ellman & Reppen, 1997; Fromm, 1956; Knafo, 2008; Kohut, 1977; Rank, 1932/1989; Winnicott, 1971; Wurmser, 1985). Similarly, numerous psychodynamic theories have highlighted omnipotent fantasies as playing a cardinal role in the psychological processes that propel substance abuse (Becker, 1973/1997; Director, 2002; Dodes, 1990, 2003, 2011; Fromm, 1956; Knafo, 2008; Tatarsky, 2002; Ulman & Paul, 2006; Wurmser, 1978). And yet, the construct of omnipotence has yet to be examined as a theoretical bridge to bind such theories of creativity and substance abuse together.

In an effort to better understand nuances in the relationship between creativity and addictions, this dissertation examines the omnipotent fantasies from which both creative processes and addictive behaviors emerge. While fostering personal meaning and self-transformation when manifested in creative processes, omnipotence can also lead one down a precarious path of addictive behaviors. Through narrative analyses of the journals, memoirs, letters, interviews, and poetry of creative writers who wrote in great depth about both their creativity and substance abuse, I will illustrate how omnipotent fantasies often shape and foster both healthy, creative processes toward growth and maladaptive, addictive impulses toward self-destruction.