Simpósio Internacional do Adolescente

Resumen

SAKAMOTO, Cleusa Kazue. Aladdin and The Thousand Nights and a Night: a debate about creativity in adolescence. In Anales del 1º Simpósio Internacional do Adolescente, 2005, São Paulo (SP) [online]. 2005 [citado 24 Abril 2024]. Disponible en: <http://www.proceedings.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=MSC0000000082005000200071&lng=es&nrm=iso> .

Adolescence has been systematically defined as a transition period characteristic of the human vital cycle, which shelters a crisis of identity - an important forerunner of the development of the adult individual's potentialities. The adolescent due to his freedom of thought and expression, is many times considered exceptionally creative, and adolescence is many times regarded as a creative moment par excellence in the human existence. Nowadays we verify in the contemporary western society, a phenomenon of long range in relation to the duration period of adolescence, since it seems to have been extended, shortening the childhood period and postponing the entrance to the adult life. To debate the creativity during adolescence, within this present prism so ample and significant, appears as a great challenge that can be assisted by the interpretative analysis of the story of Aladdin from the tales "The Thousand Nights and a Night". In "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" we find a typical young adolescent with the faithful attitude in search of his ideals and that overcomes his dilemmas discovering an effective way of making concrete his dreams. The Magic Lamp is the metaphor of the creative ability that makes concrete plans and manifests singular impulses that modify the course of an existence. Therefore, it contains a Genius, an essential force capable of operating a transformation from potential into action, from the plan to the accomplishment. Only a youngster in adolescence, such as Aladdin, could have entered the cavern and taken possession of the Lamp, that is, penetrate into the depths of his being and discover his creative potential, taking possession of it. If the Magic Lamp represents the Creative Potential, to obtain the Lamp or to connect to the marvelous possibility of creating, holds a fundamental condition - that of throwing off pre-established intentions. Creativity depends of throwing oneself towards experiences and to be spontaneous, to do without expecting pre-determined products and thus, be surprised with what has been obtained, what always allows the finding of one's own self. It is interesting to consider that Aladdin is surprisingly appropriate for the interpretation of creativity, as the Arabian term djin, according to the Theosofic Glossary means "spirit of Nature, genius" and therefore, we can translate Aladjin as the spirit of Allah, or a creative impulse, or a creative genius.

Palabras llave : Adolescence; creativity; Aladdin.