The vital role of adaptive grandiosity in artistic creativity

The artist needs adaptive grandiosity in order to create. Adaptive grandiosity is an ego-state that derives from primary narcissism and a partial resolution of the positive Oedipus complex, with the ego-ideal merged with the ego. It functions as a manic defense to overcome the artist's annihilation anxiety when confronting the blank canvas or other aspects of creativity which unconsciously represent separation from the maternal introject. Because of it fragile, defensive nature, adaptive grandiosity can readily degenerate into maladaptive grandiosity (omnipotence), which can block creativity. Clinical examples are used to illustrate the differences between adaptive grandiosity and omnipotence.