Problem Finding and Empathy in Art

This paper describes an investigation of problem finding in art. The concept of empathy with oneself is hypothesized as the means by which artists perceive problems. This concept is then used to analyze the origins of Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury" and van Gogh's "The Starry Night" as well as the origins of art works composed by artists during well-known psychological studies of creativity and the origins of stories told for the blank card of the "Thematic Apperception Test" by creatively inclined college students. In each case, preliminary evidence found that problems originate as descriptions of conflicting feelings within the artist. Empathy with oneself is concluded on this basis to be a useful way to characterize the affective state of problem finding in art. A 34-item list of references is included. (Author)