John Curtis Gowan
September 17, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197834305.003.0043 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Gowan's periodic developmental stage chart, which adds creativity, psychedelia, and illumination to Erikson's and Piaget's stages, remains relevant despite his modest impact on creativity studies, and contends that his ideas about awe, peak experiences, ethics, and creativity's role in cosmic evolution resonate with contemporary research. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter positions John Curtis Gowan’s contributions within an evolutionary path in psychology rooted in Erikson, Piaget, Jung, and Maslow, while also linking it to the contemporary figures of Guilford, Koestler, and Torrance. Gowan’s main contribution is represented by his periodic developmental stage chart, in which Erikson’s and Piaget’s stages are mapped, to which he adds three: creativity, psychedelia, and illumination. Gowan’s modest impact on creativity studies might be attributed to an unfortunate terminology, the debatable concept of dysplasia, and his insistence on the collective unconscious. Still, several of his ideas resonate with state-of-the-art research: the beneficial effects of awe and peak experiences, the resonance with humanistic and transpersonal psychology, the clear connection of his work to the sociocultural approach to creativity, the need to develop ethics alongside creativity in a modern world afflicted by hatred and conflict, and the role of creativity in the evolution of our universe.