Turning Repressed Emotions Into Great Art: Jews, Catholics, and Protestants

PACIFIC STANDARD MAGAZINE
By Tom Jacobs

(PHOTO: CLEO/SHUTTERSTOCK)

CALIFORNIA---A new study finds repressed feelings can spur creativity—for some. It depends on your religious and cultural upbringing. It has long been theorized that repressed anger or forbidden sexual desire can be a creative catalyst. After all, one way to exorcise internal tensions is to channel them into art. Provocative new research supports that notion, while cautioning that it isn’t universally true. Three University of Illinois psychologists present evidence that this equation only applies to Protestants. According to researchers Emily Kim, Veronika Zeppenfeld, and Dov Cohen, Jews and Catholics have a less-productive way of responding to uncomfortable thoughts and feelings: guilt. [link]