Creativity and resilience in the life of Nise da Silveira

Abstract

The present paper, synthesis of a Master's thesis, focused on analyzing Nise da Silveira's biography, a Brazilian psychiatrist eminently creative, who went trough adverse situations throughout her trajectory. Looking for creative and resilient evidence in her life story, a study of many documental sources was carried, with the intent of identifying the presence of creative and resilient characteristics described in scientific literature, from an analyses script developed by the researchers. The obtained data points to the existence of many typical aspects of the creative person on the individual level (related to cognitive, motivational, personality, socio-psychological and living standards); domain level (specific area of spotlight, symbolic systems and creative practice type), field level (main mentors, relation with rivals, relation with the followers), as well as to the presence of the resilient person's characteristics (family and friendship roles, self-esteem and professional fulfillment, capacity to give life meaning, problem solving, independence and autonomy, sense of humor and others) at Nise da Silveira's history. Those potentials, creativity and resilience, once stimulated, acted decisively to her healthy and eminent development.