Charles Johnston is a psychiatrist, author, and futurist. He is best know as the originator of Creative Systems Theory, a comprehensive framework for understanding purpose, change, and interrelationship in human systems. He was founder of the Institute for Creative Development and its director during its years as a bricks and mortar Institution. Today he writes book’s on the future and what it asks of us, coordinates the Institute’s on-line presence and global outreach, and leads workshops on the new skills and capacities that effective decision-making in the future will increasingly require.
Dr. Johnston is often described as a “cultural psychiatrist.” Most futurists focus on technological advances and specifics of policy. Such concerns have a place in his efforts, but his greater interest lies with the psychological, social, and leadership capacities that humanity will need to effectively address the questions before us. His previous books include The Creative Imperative: Human Growth and Planetary Evolution (1984), Necessary Wisdom (1991), Pattern and Reality: A brief Introduction to Creative Systems Theory (2002), The Power of Diversity: An Introduction to the Creative Systems Personality Typology (2002), and Quick and Dirty Answers to the Biggest of Questions: Creative Systems Theory Explains What It is All About (Really) (2013).