What is Creativity?
Man in a Bowler Hat by Rene Magritte, 1964
“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything.”
If you've ever been deeply moved by an artwork, experienced a sudden inspiration for a new project, or seen the flash of brilliance in a tech innovator’s ideas, you've experienced the power of creativity firsthand. But what exactly is creativity, and how does it work in the human mind? As this is the Creativity Research Network, exploring creativity is at the core of our mission. Let’s start at the beginning and dive into the theories and models of creativity that sparked an ever-increasing wave of interest in psychological and neuroscientific research.
First, from a psychological perspective, creativity is defined as the ability to generate novel and useful ideas. This means that creative ideas are not only unique and original, but they must also have some kind of value, purpose, or resonating insight. While on the surface this is quite straightforward, creativity can be extremely complex. Thankfully, numerous theoretical models and approaches have been developed over the years, each with its unique approach to understanding the creative process.
One of the most well-known models is the Creative Thinking model by J. P. Guilford. Guilford suggests creativity involves two primary types of thinking: divergent thinking and convergent thinking. Divergent thinking involves generating many different ideas or solutions to a problem. It is characterized by flexibility, openness, and the ability to generate multiple options or solutions to a problem. Therefore, helping us generate a wide range of ideas and consider different perspectives. Convergent thinking, on the other hand, involves narrowing down and evaluating options to arrive at the single best solution. This type of thinking is characterized by logic, analysis, and the ability to solve problems in a systematic way helping us evaluate and refine our ideas. Guilford emphasized that the most creative solutions often involve a combination of both types of thinking, an idea that would be repeatedly demonstrated in psychological and neuroscientific research over the 50 years since the model’s conceptualization.
Wallas’ 4-stage Model of the Creative Process
Beyond requiring divergent and convergent thinking, creativity typically unfolds over time with each of these mental modes alternating and waxing and waning as ideas gestate and develop over time. One helpful model for examining creativity’s time course is Wallas’ 4-stage model of the creative process. Wallas outlines that creativity involves four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. During the preparation stage, we gather information and define the problem. During incubation, we let the problem "simmer" and allow our minds to wander and our unconscious to work on it. Illumination is when the "aha!" moment arrives and the solution becomes clear to us. Finally, verification involves evaluating and refining the solution, as well as elaborating on and executing our ideas.
Amabile’s Componential Theory of Creativity
In addition to these divergent and convergent cognitive processes unfolding over time, there are a few more important psychological components that aid creativity. The Componential Theory of Creativity, proposed by Teresa Amabile, states that creativity is the result of three primary components: creative-thinking skills, expertise, and motivation. Creative-thinking skills refer to the divergent and convergent thinking skills we’ve been discussing as well as general abilities such as problem-solving, ideation, and flexibility. Expertise or the knowledge and skills one has in a particular domain or area is also important for putting creative-thinking skills to practical use. This specialized knowledge provides a foundation when combined with domain-relevant skills to generate more innovative and relevant ideas in one’s field. Finally, being creative and seeing creative ideas through to fruition is extremely difficult; it requires a great degree of motivation to pursue creative goals and the willingness to put in the effort to achieve them. Amabile also suggests that each of these components may play roles of differing importance depending on what stage of the creative process you are in. Additionally, it acknowledges the interdependence of individual and group creativity as well as the influence of the social environment, especially on task motivation.
Kaufman & Beghetto’s 4-C Model of Creativity
However, not all creativity requires this level of intensity or expertise. James Kaufman and Ron Beghetto’s 4-C Model of Creativity provides us with a helpful psychological model explaining the different levels of creativity that individuals can exhibit in both their thinking and behavior. According to their model, creativity can occur at four different levels: mini-c, little-c, Pro-c, and Big-C. Mini-c creativity involves everyday problem-solving, learning, and making personally meaningful insights. Little-c creativity is perhaps the most common form of creativity occurring when we are engaged in personal hobbies such as cooking, gardening, or crafting. Pro-c creativity, or professional creativity, requires developing expertise and is more specialized in a particular domain such as science, art, or business. Finally, Big-C creativity is genius-level creativity involved in culture-shifting innovation and requires major contributions to a particular field. Regardless of societal impact, all four levels of creativity are important and valuable, and individuals can engage in varying levels of creativity throughout their lives.
Creativity research is a vast field that spans various aspects of the creative process. It spans types of thinking involved to the stages of idea development to the skills and knowledge needed to bring ideas to fruition. By examining different models of creativity, we can gain insights into how to cultivate and nurture this important aspect of life. Although there is still much to learn about the ways that creativity operates in individuals and groups, it is clear that creativity plays a vital role in our lives. It is worth investing in and exploring as a field of fertile psychological and neuroscientific research.
Further Reading
Amabile, T. M. (1983). The Social Psychology of Creativity: A Componential Conceptualization. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45(2), 357–376. Guilford, J. P. (1967). Creativity: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 1(1), 3–14. Kaufman, J. C., & Beghetto, R. A. (2009). Beyond Big and Little: The Four C Model of Creativity. Review of General Psychology, 13(1), 1–12. Sadler-Smith, E. (2015). Wallas’ four-stage model of the creative process: More than meets the eye?. Creativity Research Journal, 27(4), 342-352. Wallas, G. (1926). The Art of Thought. London, UK: Jonathan Cape.
About the Author
Kaile Smith is a creativity researcher, creative director, and Ph.D. student in New York City. Her research explores the dynamic relationships between creativity, inspiration, emotions, and well-being in everyday life.
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