Creativity

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Definition

Creativity is a more complex issue. It sometimes has been linked to "Optimal experience" which enhances productivity but does not necessarily entail creativity. According to Feldman (1994), creativity should be studied and therefore facilitated by the teacher at three different levels:

  1. the social field,
  2. the domain (symbol systems of knowledge) and
  3. the individual.

The table below inspired by Feldman (1994) lists some important variables that could be beneficial for creativity.

Creativity variables

Level of analysis

Some important variables that correlate with creativity

Individual

Intellectual traits

  • existence of ideas
  • complexity of thought
  • complexity of conceptual structures
  • augmented reflexivity

Personal traits

  • sensitivity for the environment
  • preference for complexity
  • intrinsic motivation for getting a job done
  • capacity to produce sustained efforts and control over the process
  • capacity to transformer subconscious material
  • capacity to find a balance between the desire to transform and the desire to preserve important elements

Cognitive structures

  • domain expertise
  • existence of "networks of enterprise" (goals, projects, etc.), i.e. some sort of general "purposefulness"

Symbolic environment (domain

  • presence of a symbol system that authorizes and generates new possibilities

Social environment ("field")

  • a network of people who provide support, instruction, evaluation, recognition, etc.
  • cognitive and affective support system
  • "faustian deals"

References

  • Feldman, D.H., Csikszentmihalyi, M. Gardner, H., (1994) Changing the world, A Framework for the Study of Creativity, Westport: Praeger