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What Is Creativity? In the study of wisdom and knowledge, it was seen that persons who were considered to possess Expert-level knowledge were those who were open to experiences like aesthetic interests, curiosity, unconventionality, and creativity. Peterson & Seligman (2004) reinforced creativity’s placement in the domain of wisdom and knowledge when creativity was classified as the first strength. What is creativity? Creativity can be in the form of thinking or doing something with “originality and ingenuity” (Peterson & Seligman, 2004, p.109). This description is confirmed by psychologically-based theoretical studies like that of Sternberg and Lubart (1991) who posited that although there are many definitions to creativity, the common pattern found among these various definitions is the ability of people to produce original concepts that are job-appropriate and high in value. In other words, creativity is the ability of people to come out with one-of-kind solutions that are suitable for a particular problem. However, Csikszentmihalyi (1996) and Sternberg and Lubart (1991) noted in their studies that creativity is only recognized within the framework of the system that assesses it. Can Creativity Be Assessed? If a system were to assess creativity, how does it go about performing such an assessment? For example, in the area of product development, psychology has developed scales for assessing the creativity of products. The first scale available for assessing the creativity of products is “Creative Product Inventory”by Taylor (1975). He assessed creativity by the dimensions of “generation, reformulation, originality, relevancy, hedonics, complexity, and condensation” (pp. 297–325). The second scale available for assessing the creativity of products is “Creative Product Semantic Scale” by Besemer and O’Quin (1987). They assessed creativity by three dimensions of “Novelty (the product is original, surprising and germinal), Resolution (the product is valuable, logical, useful, and understandable), and Elaboration and Synthesis (the product is organic, elegant, complex, and well-crafted)” (pp. 367-389). According to Cropley and Cropley (2008), the scales of Taylor’s (1975) and Besemer and O’Quin (1987) are internal criteria for assessing creativity. They suggested that there are also external criteria that need to be noted. What are these external criteria? One such external criterion is what Sternberg, Kaufman, and Pretz (2002) called the “propulsion model.” Table 1 illustrates Sternberg, Kaufman, and Pretz (2002) model. Table 1 Propulsion Model Tabulation External indicators- Explanations Conceptual Replication- the known is transferred to a new setting Redefinition - the known is seen in a new way Forward and Advanced Forward Incrementation - the known is extended in various ways Redirection - the known is extended in a new direction Reconstruction - new life is breathed into an approach previously abandoned Synthesis- links are constructed between two or more apparently separate ideas Reinitiation - thinking begins at a radically different point from the current one and takes off in a new direction In order for creativity to be established, the internal and external criteria must be assessed. The studies on creativity by Sternberg and Lubart (1991), Csikszentmihalyi, (1996), Taylor (1975), Besemer and O’Quin (1987), Cropley and Cropley (2008), and Sternberg, Kaufman, and Pretz (2002) can be summarized as producing one-of-a-kind solutions that are suitable for a particular problem or product. And this type of solution can be assessed both internally and externally. What Can Be Summarized About And From Creativity? In the context of Character Strengths and Virtues’ Living, the following lessons can be gleaned about and from creativity:
The author would like to conclude by leaving this self-repot questionnaire for the reader’s assessment of themselves and for reflecting upon their own answers. Self-Report Questionnaire 1. Do you consider yourself to be creative Always b. Sometimes c. Unsure 2. How do you know that you are creative? 3. Have you tried empirically assessing your creativity? 4. What type of creative solutions have you personally achieved? 5. Do you think being creative is part of practical intelligence? 6. Can you list at least 12 creative solutions without hesitation? 7. Can you list at least 6 creative persons without hesitation? 8. What do you think of creative persons? 9. How would you promote creativity? 10. How would your reward creative persons? 11. Do you think creative ideas should be copyrighted? 12. Can Philosophy and Religion be made more creative? 13. Is creativity applicable in daily living? 14. Is being autocratic creative? 15. Is being creative limited by education? 16. Is being creative limited by any particular culture? 17. Can creativity be experienced under duress? 18. Are creative people psychologically stable? 19. Is there such a thing as creative crime? 20. Is creativity more profitable than its creations? 21. How would you define creativity? REFERENCE Besemer, S. P., & O’Quin, K. (1987). Creative product analysis: Testing a model by developing a judging instrument. In S. G. Isaksen (Ed.),Frontiers of creativity research: Beyond the basics(pp. 367-389). Buffalo, NY: Bearly. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996).Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention.New York: Harper Collins. Cropley, D., & Cropley, A. Elements of a universal aesthetic of creativity.Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 2,3, 155-16. Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004).Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Washington, DC: APA Press. Sternberg, R. J., & Lubart, T. I. (1991). An investment theory of creativity and its development.Human Development, 34,1-31. Sternberg, R. J., Kaufman, J. C., & Pretz, J. E. (2002).The creativity conundrum: A propulsion model of kinds of creative contributions.New York: Psychology Press. Taylor, I. A. (1975). An emerging view of creative actions. In I. A. Taylor & J. W. Getzels (Eds.),Perspectives in creativity(pp. 297-325). Chicago: Aldine. |