PSYCHOLOGY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING :: CREATIVITY.

Creativity Concept

All creative persons transform the ordinary things into something of great charm and beauty. Creativity is the capacity or ability of an individual to create, produce and discover a new idea or object including the rearrangement or reshaping of what is already known. As it involves a process, it is called as creative process. This creative process involves creative thinking i.e., divergent thinking. Creative thinking is always fresh and innovative. Creativity is personal, imaginative thinking which produces a new, novel and useful solution. Unlike ordinary solution to problems, creative solutions are the new one to the effect that other people have not thought before.

Creativity refers to the production of the individual which is new, original, unusual, ingenious and useful to the society. 

This is also a controlled thinking in which the creative thinker whether artist, writer or a scientist is trying to create something new. It involves characteristics of both reasoning and imagination. Creative thinking is a process in which the individual generates an original, unusual and productive solution to a problem.

The product of creative thinking may be a new and unique way of conceptualizing the world around us. The emphasis in creative thinking is on the word ‘new’. In human beings we find two kinds of productive abilities – the convergent and divergent abilities.

Convergent abilities are used to bring together otherwise divergent things. Divergent production abilities are those which are not guided by rules or conventions, but capable of generating new solutions to a problem. Divergent production abilities are particularly important in creative thinking.

The Components of Creativity:

Two of the primary components of creativity are originality and functionality.

Originality: The idea should be something new that is not simply an extension of something else that already exists.

Functionality: The idea needs to actually work or possess some degree of usefulness.

Creativity involves the creative process. The creative process needs creative thinking. Creative thinking is said to involve some specific and definite dimensions or steps or stages. Graham Wallas (1926) has emphasised that creative thinking involves four stages, namely:

Preparation:

Problem solving becomes so easy and familiar with the various features of the problem. In preparation we begin to define, analyse and thus the stage is set for its solution. The plan of action is formulated by means of collecting and analysing the information. In between, if it’s necessary, the plan of action is modified. If there is any failure then we can switch on to other method. At some point, we find that solving the problem is a great problem and we keep it away for the time being. Such a deliberate turning away the issues is the beginning of the second stage- Incubation.

In short, the thinker formulates the problem and collects the facts and materials considered necessary for finding new solutions. Many times the problem cannot be solved even after days, weeks or months of concentrated efforts. Failing to solve the problem, the thinker turns away from it initiating next stage.

Incubation:

In this stage, there is an absence of creative thinking about the problem. We take rest and keep the problem away by being busy with some interesting activities. The problem is allowed to soak in our unconscious mind where the process of finding out a solution for it starts. During this period some of the ideas that were interfering with the solution will tend to fade. The overt activity and sometimes even thinking about the problem is absent in this stage. But the unconscious thought process involved in creative thinking is at work during this period. Apparently the thinker will be busy in other activities like reading literature or playing games, etc. In spite of these activities the contemplation about finding a solution to problem will be going on in the mind.

Meanwhile the new direction may allow the individual in promoting the solution. This leads to the stage of illumination or insight.

Intimation:

 This is one of the sub stages and is considered important. Before moving on to the illumination or insight, the creative person gets a ‘feeling’ that a solution is on its way. 

Illumination or Insight:

In this stage a person comes across a sudden insight or a solution or idea and it proves to be the good solution to the problem. A creative person or thinker gets an insightful solution. Such a change can occur at any point of time in this stage of illumination. The third stage is what most of the public think is a classic signal or sign of a creative person, what is called the insight stage or the insight step. With insight it is really the idea of the ‘Aha’ moment, the ‘Eureka’ moment. Although it is probably the smallest part of the five steps, it is possible one of the most important parts.

This is because your sub consciousness in the previous stages is bubbling away and this insight stage really allows the mind to work on something else. And then bring these ideas to the forefront of your mind. So that’s the third stage, the insight’s or the illumination stage. This leads to the final stage of verification or revision. 

Verification:

This is the final step in the creative process or creative thinking. By this stage illumination is tried out and the solution is revised to or verified to know whether it is effective to solve the problem. Though the solution is found in illumination stage, it is necessary to verify whether that solution is correct or not. Hence in this last stage evaluation of the solution is done. If the solution is not satisfactory the thinker will go back to creative process from the beginning. In order to take these kinds of steps it needs to be analysed and administered.

If it is satisfactory, the same will be accepted and if necessary, minor modifications may also be made to the solution.

Thus, these are the steps of scientific and systematic way of analysing higher creative process.

Types of Creativity:

Experts also tend to distinguish between different types of creativity. The “four c” model of creativity suggests that there are four different types:

• “Mini-c” creativity involves personally meaningful ideas and insights that are known only to the self.

• “Little-c” creativity involves mostly everyday thinking and problem-solving. This type of creativity helps people solve everyday problems they face and adapt to changing environments.

• “Pro-C” creativity takes place among professionals who are skilled and creative in their respective fields. These individuals are creative in their vocation or profession but do not achieve eminence for their works.

• “Big-C” creativity involves creating works and ideas that are considered great in a particular field. This type of creativity leads to eminence and acclaim and often leads to world-changing creations such as medical innovations, technological advances, and artistic achievements.

What Does It Take to Be Creative?

The Hungarian-American psychologist Csikszentmihalyi, suggests that creative people tend to possess a variety of traits that contribute to their innovative thinking. Some of these key traits include:

1. Energy: Creative people tend to possess a great deal of both physical and mental energy. However, they also tend to spend a great deal of time quietly thinking and reflecting.

2. Intelligence: Intelligence is the quality of being very smart and well-informed. Creativity is the ability to cause or to exist. It is a subjective value. Both, intelligence and creativity are mental abilities. Psychologists have long believed that intelligence plays a critical role in creativity. In Terman’s famous longitudinal study of gifted children, researchers found that while high IQ was necessary for great creativity, not all people with high IQs are creative. Csikszentmihalyi believes that creative people must be smart, but they must be capable of looking at things in fresh, even naive ways.

3. Discipline: Creative people do not just sit around waiting for inspiration to strike. They are playful, yet they are also disciplined in the pursuit of their work and passions.

While some people seem to come by creativity naturally, there are things that can be done to increase own creativity. As Csikszentmihalyi has noted, creativity requires both a fresh perspective combined with discipline. 

As Thomas Edison famously suggested, genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

The late American Poet Maya Angelou also suggested that thinking creativity helps foster even greater creativity:

"Creativity or talent, like electricity, is something I don’t understand but something I’m able to harness and use. While electricity remains a mystery, I know I can plug into it and light up a cathedral or a synagogue or an operating room and use it to help save a life. Or I can use it to electrocute someone. Like electricity, creativity makes no judgment. I can use it productively or destructively. The important thing is to use it. You can’t use up creativity. The more you use it, the more you have."