“a flower of unusual beauty”

 “Biological Sensitivity to Context,”  Current Directions in Psychological Science (2005)

Authors:

Bruce J. Ellis
John and Doris Norton School of Family and Consumer Science, University of Arizona

W. Thomas Boyce
College for Interdisciplinary Studies and Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Our “Orchid” concept is loosely based on research that most people might be categorized as “dandelions,” meaning they can thrive under most circumstances.

     In contrast, some people are extremely sensitive to their environments — meaning under “bad” conditions they may wither where dandelions wouldn’t, and they may respond even more favorably to “good” conditions than most dandelions would and flourish.

Researchers are postulating that some people with mental illness may be “Orchids”. 

      However, we are not using the term “Orchid” in a strict scientific sense, but rather as a broad metaphor for people with mental illness.

        See below links to magazine articles, scholarly
articles, and blogs that explore the concept of “Orchid”
from scientific viewpoints as well as in the context of art, society and personal reflection.  

What Orchid Currently Means in Mental Health and Culture:

Magazine Articles 

 1.   “The Science of Success,” by David Dobbs, Atlantic Monthly (Dec.  2009)

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/12/the-science-of-success/307761/

2.   “Orchid Kids:  Positives of Intense and Demanding Children,”  (2009)

http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/orchid-kids-positives-of-intense-and.html

3.   “How to Raise an Orchid Child to Blossom, ”  The Globe and Mail (Dec. 2010) (Canadian)

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/how-to-raise-an-orchid-child-to-blossom/article559956/

4.   “ ‘Orchid’ Children:  Are Genes At the Root Of It,”  Wray Herbert, Huffington Post (Nov. 2011)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wray-herbert/orchid-children_b_853935.html

5.   “In Search of the Orchid Child,” by Wray Herbert, Scientific American (Nov. 2011) (Herbert is a writer in residence at the Association of Psychological Science).

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=on-the-trail-of-the-orchid-child

6.   In Parenting Some Kids Are Weeds Others Orchids, psychcentral.com (2011)

http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/12/19/in-parenting-some-kids-are-weeds-others-orchids/32745.html

7.   “Orchid Children, How Bad News Came Good” by David Dobbs (Sept. 2013)

http://newscientist1.blogspot.com/2012/02/health-orchid-children-how-bad-news.html

Scholarly Articles

1.   “Biological Sensitivity to Context,”    Current Directions in Psychological Science,  (2005)

http://www.hsperson.com/pages/Ellis_2008_Biological_Sensitivity_to_Context%5B1%5D.pdf

 2.   “Beyond Orchids and Dandelions:”    (June 2013)

https://files.nyu.edu/dc66/public/orchid_dandelion.pdf

3.   Clinical Journal of Child Psychological Psychiatry (July, 2013)

http://ccp.sagepub.com/search/results?fulltext=orchid+children&x=-761&y=-300&submit=yes&journal_set=spccp&src=selected&andorexactfulltext=and

Art and Blogs

1.   Prologue:  Chapter 1:     Orchids and Dandelions

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8760469/1/That-Obscure-Object

2.   On Dandelions and Orchids:  Adaptation Beyond Nature Versus Nurture (Sept. 2013) – psychological article/music review.)

http://psychologicalreviewofthearts.com/2013/09/on-dandelions-and-orchids-adaptation-beyond-nature-versus-nurture/

3.   “Orchid Adults”, Carla’s Blog – “The Big Trip and Beyond”, Carla Brennan  (July 2012)(deeply felt blog)

http://carlabrennan.com/2012/07/22/orchid-adults/

4.   Nature-vs-Nurture is Your Child a Dandelion or an Orchid, by mrsheelsandchaos (Oct. 8, 2013)

http://www.blogher.com/nature-vs-nurture-your-child-dandelion-or-orchid-0?wrap=blogher-topics/family&crumb=22