é ù ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` SUICIDE AND CREATIVITY: THE CASE OF SYLVIA PLATH ```````````````````````````````````````````````````` MARK A. RUNCO California State University, Fullerton, California, USA T his article explores the idea that although much can be learned by viewing Sylvia Plath’s poetry as an expression of her thinking and a ect , additional insights are aorded by reversing the typical direction of e ect and by viewing Plath’s aect , and in particular her depression, as a result of her writing . Consistent with this interpretation is Plath’s huge investment in writing . T his may have contributed to the sensitivity that predisposed her to stress and depression. T his perspective is tied to the existing creativity literature and interwoven and contrasted with existing descriptions of Plath’s work and tragic death . There are numerous reasons to study the relationships that exist between suicide and creativity. Theories of creativity will likely be enriched by a close examination of the suicides of unambiguously creative individuals, for example, and predictions may be made more accurate by examining the role of creativity in the suicides of those same persons. Several questions are addressed in this article. First, what do we know about creativity and suicide? Second, how does the case of Sylvia Plath ®t with existing theories of creativity and suicide? In addition to addressing these questions I oer two new hypotheses about the relationship of creativity with suicide. I begin with a brief overview of some of the notable ®ndings and ideas about suicide found in the creativity literature. In this sense this is not a typical inductive case study. The approach used here is essentially Address correspondence to Mark Runco, Bldg. EC 105, California State University, P.O. Box 6868, Fullerton, CA 92834-6868. Send e-mail to MRunco@ Fullerton.edu. Death Studies, 22 : 637±654, 1998 Copyright 1998 Taylor & Francis Ó 0748-1187 / 98 $12.00 1 .00 637