CREATIVE THINKING

Dr. Dikirr P.M

 SUB-TOPICS COVERED IN THIS MODULE
• Introduction
• Definition(s) of creative thinking
• What stops it?
• Misconceptions about creativity
• Traditional sources of creativity
• Uses of Creative thinking
• Creative thinking typology (ies)
• Four Phases …of Creative thinking
• Creative thinking dispositions
• Creative Thinking Tools/Techniques
• Creative Thinking Obstacles
• Dark Side of Creativity
 INTRODUCTION

• Highest level of human thought

• Not exclusive to rare gifted few

• Skill achieved through training

• Focus is on disrupting thinking style

 DEFINITION (S) OF CREATIVE THINKING

• When you hear of creative thinking what words or

phrases immediately comes to mind?
• Imagination
• Lateral thinking
• Thinking outside of the box
• Freedom, autonomy, some discretion
• Playfulness, experimentation, exploration
• Cognitive flexibility
• Curiosity, incessant questioning, and challenge
• Spontaneity
• Self-acceptance
• Personal courage …..etc…..etc…..
Working definition:

Ability to modify (or to overcome) self-imposed constraints. Such

constraints Include:
1. Self-criticism & Negative thinking- The belief that we are not creative
enough
2. Fear, of:
• Being criticized
• Making mistakes
• Looking foolish
• Being alone
• Being an outcast
• Disturbing tradition etc.
 3. Routines/set ways of performing tasks — which are
entrenched in our own lives, and which therefore limit the
range of responses available
4. Beliefs - limit the way in which we perceive and process
information from the outside world. We sometimes (indeed
most of the times) “filter out” information which contradicts our
beliefs and therefore end up in our “reality tunnel” in which we
remain blissfully unaware of much that occurs in front of our
own very eyes
5. Ego/Having a strong ego identity — this lead us to
aggressively defend it to the detriment of ourselves, our
creativity and society
6. Living in a too hectic environment — which does not
provide quiet time for reflection and introspection. Closely
associated with this is also:
• The sterile environment that does not feed our senses
• Demand for quick production of results
• Harsh words from others and from ourselves
• Rigid rules and barriers that prevent us from getting
information and/or from connecting with others
• Being overly immersed in popular culture ( television
pop music and other genres)
• All people are creative. We are all gifted
with the ability to imagine. Not all of us
though have been able to reach their
potentials.
 CREATIVE THINKING: CLASSIC DEFINITIONS
• A bracket term for several related things, covers a wide range of different skills.
• There is Artistic creativity - the production of a book, or a painting, of a piece of
music that is in some way original- Exceptional craftsmanship.
• There is the creativity of discovery - whether it is Archimedes leaping out of his
bath shouting “EUREKA!,” or a new product/concept/strategy/style.
Unexpectedness and change. Not a repetition of what was done yesterday.
Something new, but of value
• And there is the creativity of humor—something special about humor - a
certain way of seeing the work in a different way.
• Creativity as a mystery —brilliant new ideas are produced ands we do not
know how they came about
• Additional definitions of creative thinking…
 CREATIVE THINKING: CLASSIC DEFINITIONS

1. Ideational fluency- production/generation of multiple ideas; skill to list

large numbers of objects falling into a precise category. For example,
listing all the objects that come to mind that are red, round, and solid.
2. ASSOCIATIONAL FLUENCY - aptitude to produce large numbers of related
words, such as listing synonyms.
3. Possibility thinking- seeing/identifying many ways of doing things (e.g of
skinning a cat)
4. Scenario thinking- Ability to conceive of a range of future possibilities
5. Combinational ability- Ability to see relationships among seemingly
unrelated objects or ideas
• Provocational skills- Ability and the will to challenge
traditional ways of thinking and/or doing things
• Disruptive tendency – Ability to disassemble familiar ways
of doing things and reassemble them in new ways
• Paradigm flexibility- Ability to change one’s frame of
reference from prevailing ideas and beliefs

Reference. de Bono, Edward (1992). Serious Creativity:

Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create new Ideas.
NY. Harper Business.
 DEFINITIONS - USING ANOTHER TYPOLOGY

• Combinational Creativity - Involves new combinations of

familiar ideas

• Exploratory Creativity - involves the generation of new ideas

by exploring structured concepts

• Transformational Creativity- Involves the transformation of

some dimension of the structure, so that new structures can
be generated
 YET, ANOTHER TYPOLOGY
• Fluency- the production of a great number of ideas

• Originality - getting away from the obvious, the commonplace. Breaking away from
routine bound thinking. A mental jump, from the obvious. The production of unique,
novel, surprising, wild, unusual, unconventional, weird, remarkable, or revolutionary
ideas.
• Flexibility - processing ideas/objects in many different ways given the same stimuli.
Detours in thinking, including accommodating contradictions. Different viewpoints.
Alternative plans. Different approaches. Multiple perspectives of a situation. The
production of ideas and products that show a variety of possibilities or realms of
thought
• Elaboration- The production of ideas that display intensive detail or enrichment.
Think of a mind map, as a way of extending one idea in different directions
 CREATIVE THINKING TYPOLOGY

• 1st Typology:
• Paradigm preserving - No introduction of new elements or relationships between elements of
the problem. No new ideas that challenge, or break away from, the prevailing paradigm
• Paradigm stretching- new elements introduced; new relationships between elements of the
problem are conceived
• Paradigm breaking - both new elements and new relationships between the elements are
introduced . Complete break from what’s known

• 2nd Typology:
• Idea generation
• Idea Expansion
• Idea selection
• Idea feasibility
 WHAT STOPS IT?

• Two major things:

Restraints of Social & Educational

Conditioning

The Expert Syndrome

 TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF CREATIVITY

• Innocence
• Experience
• Motivation
• Tuned judgement
• Change, accident, mistake & madness
• Style
• Release
• Lateral thinking
• Perception & Processing
• Design & analysis
 PRACTICAL USES OF CREATIVITY

• Improvement
• Problem solving
• Value and opportunity
• The Future
• Motivation
 4 PHASES… OF CREATIVITY

• Preparation
• Exploration/generation phase
• Incubation
• Verification
 CREATIVE THINKING TOOLS/ TECHNIQUES

• Rules/expectations
• ABC avalanche
• Brainstorming/Brain-writing
• SCAMPER
• Use of provocative questions
• Wishful thinking
• Assumption reversal
• Six thinking hats
• Biomimicry ……etc…..etc…
 CREATIVE THINKING RULES… IN BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS

• Criticism is ruled out

• Free-wheeling is welcomed
• Quantity is desired
• Combination and improvement
are sought.
 CREATIVE THINKING TOOLS
1. ABC Avalanche: generate at least 26 ideas for a specific challenge—sorted by their first letter
(10-15 minutes)
Process
• Write down the central question.
• Write down the letters of the alphabet
• Generate many ideas, sorting them by their first letters
• Complete the alphabet
2. Brainstorming - tool used to generate unconventional ideas by suppressing the common
tendency to criticize or reject ideas summarily. - An excellent technique for strengthening
fluency, fantasy and communication skills — used for a wide diversity of problems —
including marketing & product issues, strategy development, planning, policy, organization,
leadership, staffing, motivation, control and communication. However, tool not suitable for
broad and complex problems (problems demanding high qualified expertise and know how.
3. Brain-writing/free writing
4. SCAMPER Technique/Osborn Checklist: The 8 words from the
Acronym used to approach challenge from a different angles and to
generate a larger list of creative ideas
S- Substitute - parts, the whole, material …
C- Combine- functions, material, just different ..
A- Adapt- other color, place, use, form, timing….
M- Modify/Magnify/Minify- (MAXIMIZE- bigger, stronger, more
time, macro-level, use more often… MINIMIZe—smaller, lighter,
shorter, micro-level, less important…
P- Put to…….other uses, other context…
E- Eliminate - parts, functions, material ….
R- Reverse, Re-arrange — sequence, up-side down, inside-out…
• SUBSTITUTE What else instead? Who else instead? Other ingredients? Other material? Other power?
Other place?
• COMBINE How about a blend, an alloy, an ensemble? Combine purposes? Combine appeals?
• ADAPT What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does past offer parallel? What could
I copy?
• MINIFY Order, form, shape? What to add? More time?
• MAGNIFY Greater frequency? Higher? Longer? Thicker?
• PUT TO OTHER USES New ways to use as is? Other uses I modified? Other places to use? Other people
to reach?
• ELIMINATE What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Lighter? Omit?
Streamline?
• Understate?
• REVERSE Interchange components? Other pattern?
• REARRANGE Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change pace? Transpose
positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward? Turn it upside-down? Reverse roles?
• REVERSE Interchange components? Other pattern?
• REARRANGE Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change pace? Transpose
positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward? Turn it upside-down? Reverse roles?
5. Use of Provocative Questions:
• Used to open up a situation to a broader and deeper thinking direction
— which might otherwise not be produced or considered
• Asking questions that encourage people to think about ideas or concepts
that they have not previously thought about. E.g.,
• What would happen if—water tasted like whisky; cats could bark;
women could fly
• How is a PC like a ship; a flower like a cat; a sunset like a lake; a
car like a fork
• What might happen if.. it never was Sunday; it was against the law
to be a perfectionist; people were not creative.
• Imagine what might happen if… by law it was forbidden to have
children; cars could fly, men could give birth to children
6. Wishful thinking —
• Facilitator emphasizes that everything is possible and that participants have to use their fantasy.
• Each participant is asked to develop some fantasy statements about the future using
formulations such as—
• In the future, it would be nice if…. death were something we read in history books
• If I was the leader in this situation, I would ensure debilitating poverty is no more,
marginalization is history, and equality before the law is a value ingrained in all of us.

Participants are then asked to examine each fantasy statement and suggest ideas and actions
about how those fantasy statements could be achieved.
Thereafter, the new ideas are linked back to the actual problem— and this is achieved by using
formulations such as—
• Even if it is difficult to reach, we can….. Or,
• It will be possible, if….
7. Mind Mapping

• It is easy to get stuck when you make notes, or draft ideas in

conventional linear form, using sentences or bullet points. WHY?
Because you are trying to do two things at once: (1) get the ideas
down on paper and (2) arrange them into a logical sequence.

• Mind mapping sidesteps this problem. It allows you to write ideas

down in an associative, organic pattern, starting with a key
concept in the center of the page, and radiating out in all
directions, using lines to connect related ideas.
• A mind map can also aid learning by showing the relationships between
different concepts and making them easier to memorize.

• Tony Buzan is the leading authority on mind mapping. Among his tips for
getting the most out of the technique are:

·Start in the center of the page

·The lines should be connected and radiate out from the central concept

·Use different colors for different branches of the mind map

·Use images and symbols to bring the concepts to life and make them easier
to remember
Challenging Assumptions/Assumption Reversal

• The assumptions (presuppositions) “technique aims at overcoming our

thinking habits in order to create a new perspective on a given topic.

Steps:
1. Take a crucial term from your problem or topic formulation

2. List the assumptions you have on the topic and fundamentally challenge
them by asking “ what if…..was not true?

3. When you answer this question form this new perspective you will come
up with a bunch of new ideas
• Example:
– How can we decrease the weight of a car while still preserving its
security and stability?

1. Car Assumptions include:

– Wheels driven
– Means of transport
– Has a certain volume
2. What if a car is not wheel driven?
- The car would float in the air!
- The car would stand still!
- The car would jump !
3. New Ideas from floating:
– A car with surrounding plastic bumper
around full of compressed air that can take
heavy shocks and make the car float in water

– An airbag around the car as soon as the car

runs out of the road

– ……..
Example 2. What might be the next big restaurant concept? ..

List your assumptions about restaurants, and then reverse your assumptions to
create breakthrough ideas for a new restaurant concept
1. Food is cooked for you— you cook the food
2. Order food from a menu— order attributes (indulgence, adventure)
3. Sit at a table in a chair—living room furniture in eating areas
4. Food comes on a plate- serve food on a frisbee
5. Go there with a group- singles dinning
8. Six Thinking Hats (Edward de Bono)
• Technique created by Edward de Bono.
• The six hats are:
WHITE = information, facts, data
GREEN = creativity, growth, new ideas, options
YELLOW = benefits, logic, positive vision, feasibility
RED = emotions, feelings, hunches, intuition
BLACK = critic, risks, obstacles, caution
BLUE = overview, control, decision, process.
• Technique allows participants to take different
perspectives on a issue or idea and think about
alternative ideas to move forward
• By taking different approaches/perspectives,
participants are able to come up with better, more
creative solutions, better thought through ideas.
• People tend to have preferred ways of thinking—may
not be comfortable outside their usual style. However,
by wearing each hat participants use/ adopt different
thinking styles
• Participants required to a conversation by first mentioning the
hat, or even the color. For example: Could start by saying…
• With my green hat on, I’d say we should all flap our wings and
zoom around the building with our eyes shut
• “Feeling a bit red here: I’m getting twitchy about doing this
now
• With a Black hat, I’d say that we could not afford to do that
• Blue calling: the whole contraption is too heavy. It will sink
without trace
• White hat says I can’t decide yet, I need to find out more. Any
ideas?
When to use it:
• When you want to use different types of thinking
—where individuals would feel inhibited by taking
those roles without prior legitimation
• Used to explore ideas when selecting which to
take forward
• Used to explore how people will react when you
try to implement your idea.
 Biomimicry
• Involves studying nature’s best ideas and then imitating those designs and processes
to solve human problems

• For example:
Studying a leaf to invent a better solar cell.

• Treating nature itself as a database of the solutions that already work.

• Conscious copying of examples and mechanisms from natural organisms and ecologies

• The approach is motivated by the fact that biological organisms and their organs have
been well optimized by evolution
https://biomimicry.org/videos/
CHARACTERISTICS OF CREATIVE PERSONALITIES
a. Creative individuals have a great deal of energy, but they are also often quiet
and at rest.
b. Creative individuals tend to be smart, yet also naive at the same time.
c. Creative individuals have a combination of playfulness and discipline, or
responsibility and irresponsibility.
d. Creative individuals alternate between imagination and fantasy at one end, and
rooted sense of reality at the other.
e. Creative individuals are also remarkable humble and proud at the same time.
f. The openness and sensitivity of creative individuals often exposes them to
suffering pain yet also a great deal of enjoyment. etc
 CREATIVE THINKING OBSTACLES

• Perceptual
• Emotional
• Intellectual
• Expressive
• Environmental
• Cultural
 Perceptual Blocks

• Inability to clearly see a problem, or the

information needed to solve a problem effectively.

• This arises from the way we have learnt to

recognize information from the world around us.
• We all have develop habits of ‘seeing’ the world.

• And those habits can sometimes get in the way of

finding the best solutions to a problem.

• Example: Seeing only the most obvious solution

 Perceptual Blocks include:
1. Seeing only what you expect to see.

• We look for patterns of key features to recognize situations. If

the key features ‘fit,’ we assume the situation are the same.

• This tend to obscure the “true nature of a problem. Why?

Because we exclude relevant information ( because it is not a key
feature or did not occur in the past) or include information
simply because we assume it is there.
2. Stereotyping
• Automatic application of labels so as to recognize a
situation (like door, machine, laziness). Doing so
prevents us from seeing all features of a situation

• We often do not look beyond the obvious. Example: If

somebody is not working hard as we would like, and we
apply the label ‘lazy’ to that person, we might overlook
the possibility that boredom with monotonous work is
the problem and not laziness
3. Not recognizing the problem
• Many problems often go unnoticed, or are
recognized, only when the effects have
become severe and emergency action is
required
4. Not seeing the problem in perspective

• Taking too narrow a view of a situation – and recognize only part of the
problem or the information required to solve it

• Failure to recognize how different parts are related

• Seeing only superficial aspects of the problem, rendering the solution is

inadequate

• Failing to see the problem from the point of view of other people who are
involved
❑Mistaking cause and effect

• Many problems are recognized by their

effects, or the absence of expected results

• If cause and effect are confused then we are

unlikely to find an effective solution
Example:

• If goods do not arrive, and we assume that the supplier is

late in dispatching them when in fact our ordering
department has failed to send out the order, then our
search for solutions will be misdirected.

• In this situation the late dispatch of the goods is an effect

of the problem, and not a cause
 2. EMOTIONAL BLOCKS

• Exists when our emotional needs are threatened.

• Of course our emotional needs do differ in type and strength

from person to person. But, generally, in all of us they include
—for example, the need for achievement, for recognition,
order, belonging and self-esteem.

• Emotional blocks include:

❑Fear of making mistakes, or looking foolish, and being laughed
and ridiculed.

• Becomes amplified when one is in the presence colleagues of a

different rank to their own.

• More senior staff will be judged as inexperienced or immature.

• The junior staff may want to protect their image as being

knowledgeable and experienced, when they are not.
❑Impatience
• Due to a desire to succeed quickly or to end the discomfort or loss caused by the
problem.
• And because of that impatience,

• We tend to grab the first solution which comes along, without adequate analysis
of the problem

• We also evaluate ideas too fast, almost instinctively (thus rejecting unusual
ideas)

Either way, our solution is unlikely to be the most effective available

❑Avoiding anxiety.
• Anxiety, which some of us are susceptible to and find to be
more unpleasant, is caused by high risk, disorder and
ambiguity, long-term stress, and fear for our security.

• The effect that anxiety has on our ability to solve problem:

avoiding risks, indecision in situations which are not ‘black
and white,’ excessive reliance on other’s judgment, and
avoiding challenging the status quo.
❑Fear of taking risks

• Avoiding situations where outcome is uncertain, or could be

unpleasant, due to our desire for security.

• The consequences of that include: setting easy to reach

objectives so as to avoid risk of failure, and accepting known
solutions in preference to the unusual --because their value is
certain.
❑Need for Order

• Related to avoiding anxiety.

• Need for order can lead to an inability to cope

with the frustrations of situations which are not
clear-cut, or where ambiguity exists
❑Lack of Challenge

• Arise when the problem is routine, or the benefits and/or

losses are not significant to us.

• In such situations, therefore, we: (a) do not tackle the

problem; or, (b) take the easiest, quickest route to solution
 3. INTELLECTUAL BLOCKS.
• Exist when we do not have the requisite skills to find a successful
solution, or when we are unable to effectively use the skills that we
have. Intellectual blocks include:

❑Lack of knowledge or skills in the problem solving process

• This is one of the most common blocks. And, it includes:

✓Inadequate skills in analytical and creative thinking

✓An inflexible strategy

✓Using one approach for every type of problem

✓Inability to use the various problem solving

techniques

All these, and more, can lead to ineffective solutions

❑Lack of creative thinking
• The inability to use the skills, rather than their
absence, resulting from the dominance of analytical
thinking in our day-to-day lives and lack of practice
❑Inflexible thinking
• Difficulty in switching from one type of thinking skill to
another. E.g., from analysis to idea generation, or from
verbal to visual thinking
❑Not being Methodical
• Most common block. A step-by-step approach is essential to
solving problems effectively
❑Lack of knowledge skill in using the language of the problem
• If the problem involve a language we cannot understand, or
cannot use, such as specialist jargon or statistical analysis, we are
unable to tackle the problem effectively
• Also, we may use an inappropriate language, such as trying to find
an error in accounts by describing the situation verbally rather than
analyzing it mathematically.
❑Using inadequate information

• Failure to make sufficient effort in collecting the relevant

information

• Not understanding what information is relevant, where to find

it, or how it relates to the problem

• Using inaccurate information, hence led to the wrong

conclusion
 4. EXPRESSIVE BLOCKS

• Not having the knowledge or skills necessary to

communicate, or record ideas in the required ways.

• Caused by an inability to use ‘languages’ effectively—

such as words, mathematics, scientific symbols, and so
on.

• Expressive blocks include:

❑Using the wrong language
For example:

• We are unlikely to get very far if we record data only

verbally when the problem requires quantitative
analysis.

• We may fail to grasp our meaning if we try to explain

our feelings about a situation using mathematics
instead of words.
❑Unfamiliarity with a particular application of a language
• Example: Some people experience difficulties when making a
speech even through they can write their ideas effectively on paper

❑Inadequate explanations
• Real lack of information about what you are trying to convey, or
• Assuming that your audience already has some of the information
when they do not
❑A passive management style
• Reluctance or difficulty in exerting influence may prevent us
from communicating our ideas effectively. This is particularly
important when people need to be convinced of the validity of
ideas

❑A dominant management style

• Exerting oppressive control, either deliberately or
unconsciously, can similarly make those we are communicating
with automatically reluctant to accept what we say, or they
can become hostile to our ideas
 5. ENVIRONMENTAL BLOCKS
• Exist when social or physical environment hinders our problem
solving. They include:
❑Management style
• If our ideas are constantly dismissed with comments such as “No, It
would not work because..,” or “NO, we have tried that before but it
did not work”, we soon give up trying.
❑Physical discomfort
• Example: poorly designed chairs can create a distraction by giving us
a backache which, in turn, make us irritable and less interested in
any type of work.
❑ Lack of support
- Comes in many forms.
• Example: we may need specialist information, advice,
skills or other resources, or authority to take action.

• Or, pervasive lack of encouragement and the necessary

organizational structure to support and exploit peoples
ideas
❑Stress
• Work pressure and desire to meet deadlines affects people
differently.
❑Lack of communication
• Has a number of effects, including inability to get information
you require and a lack of encouragement
❑ Monotonous work
• Dulls enthusiasm for solving problems.
• Put us onto “automatic pilot,” hence blinded to problems when
they occur
❑Expectations of others
• Influence both our general performance in problem solving, and
the objective we set ourselves.

• Example: if our peers and superiors are happy with a regular

solution to a problem we may feel that it’s a waste of time to
look for a new, more effective solution.

• But if we are expected to find an innovative solution, we are

likely to make a greater effort.
 6.CULTURAL BLOCKS
• Exist when we are bound by custom. They include:

❑Unquestioning acceptance of the status quo.

• The tendency to conform to established ideas, and
methods of working, and not to question them, or
express ideas that depart from them.
❑Dislike for change [ Edmund Burke Vs. Ernest Renan]
• The attitude that tradition is preferable to change, which may
arise from the need for security

• If a situation is accepted as it is, any change which must involve

some uncertainty is felt to be threatening by some people.

• But as we become more accustomed to change, this block

become less threatening.

• CAUTION: There must be reasons for change. Change for

change’s sake can be dangerous.
❑Fantasy and humor are not productive
• There is a widespread belief that fantasy and humor have no place in
the serious business of solving problems, despite subjective reports
from innovators suggest otherwise

• Fantasy and humor are connected by one common feature—the

unlikely combination of ideas. (in a good joke, the punch line is
always unexpected.

• Innovative solutions to problems arise in the same way—by making a

link between apparently unrelated ideas.
❑Feelings, intuition & subjective judgments are
unreliable
• There is a strong bias towards reason, logic and
quantitative judgments. Why? Because they can be
measured and communicated in accurate terms.

• Feelings, intuition and subjective judgments, which

cannot be measured or communicated as effectively,
are seen as unreliable and are mistrusted.
• Yet, even in mathematics—one of the most logical of sciences-, intuition often plays
a key role in problem solving.
• We need to use both objective, logical methods and subjective, intuitive methods
in the search for solutions

❑Over-emphasis on competition or cooperation

• A very competitive environment—for recognition, promotion and so forth – can
make people unwilling to listen to the ideas of those with whom they are
competing

• Similarly, in a strong cooperative environment, we may avoid expressing new ideas

– because we do not want to stand out from the crowd
❑Taboos

• Often excluded from problem solving are actions and

ideas regarded as distasteful or harmful or contravening
moral codes.

• Yet, in thought, there is no harm in breaking them.

Doing so may sometimes lead to new perspectives on a

problem.
 CONCLUDING REMARKS
• If, and when, you fail to solve a problem effectively, look back
over your thoughts and actions to see if any of the described
blocks hindered you.

• If it did, then, next time you can prepare to avoid it.

• By being constantly aware of the blocks that can occur, and

using the techniques we been discussing, you will find that
gradually fewer and fewer blocks will occur.
 The Dark Side of Creativity
1. The essence of creativity is going against the crowd, taking risks (calculated risks, of course) deviating
from the routine, and strengthening the development of a unique identity.
• These positive traits can however also give way to anti-social or pathological behavior —
which manifest themselves in manipulation, maladjustment, neurosis, crime and terrorism.

• We are here particularly concerned with the ways in which creativity is manifested in forms
that are neither positive nor beneficial: negative/malevolent creativity— the undesirable
or indeed harmful consequences of creativity.
• Malevolent/ Negative creativity- 3 types:
• Use of creativity with the deliberate intention of causing harm or damage to others
• Creativity that begins with good intentions but end with harmful outcomes
• Having benevolent motives but being unaware of, or unable or unwilling to,
anticipate the negative consequences of creativity.
1. Empirical research has consistently shown that there are statistical links
between creativity and personality traits such as introversion, emotional
sensitivity, openness to new experience and impulsivity.

• In more extreme cases, creativity is often present together with

emotional disorders, especially in the area of creative arts.

[Read, for example, Akinola and Mendes [2008]. "The Dark Side of
Creativity: Biological Vulnerability and Negative Emotions Lead to Greater
Artistic Creativity.” Pers Soc Psychol Bull 34(12):1677-1686.)
2. In his famous book, Creating Minds, Harvard psychologist
Howard Gardner reviewed the lives of famous creative
people such as Einstein, Freud and Picasso.

• He found a commonality among his subjects . They all

seemed to be involved in some kind of a Faustian
bargain.

• They had to make a big sacrifice in some area in order

to engage in their creative pursuits.
“…the creators, Gardner points out, became embedded in some kind of a bargain, a
deal… a Faustian arrangement, executed as a means of ensuring the preservation of his
or her unusual gifts. In general, the creators were so caught up in the pursuit of their
work mission that they sacrificed all, especially the possibility of a rounded personal
existence… “

• Unless this bargain has been compulsively adhered to, talent

may be compromised or even irretrievably lost.

• Indeed, at times, when the bargain is relaxed, there may

well be negative consequences for the individual’s creative
output.
3. More recently, in their experiments, Francesca Gino,
professor of business administration, and, Dan Ariely, behavioral
economist, linked creativity with dishonesty.

• They concluded that people with creative personalities

tend to be more dishonest, more willing to cheat.

• And, in one of their experiments, they noted that creativity

is a better predictor of unethical behavior than
intelligence!
Gino and Ariely (2012) "The Dark Side of Creativity: Original
Thinkers Can Be More Dishonest". J Pers Soc Psychol 102(3):445-59.
• Creativity that leads to success is often achieved as a result
of very focused work over a long period of time.

• And this, as already noted, often involves making

significant sacrifices in other areas.

• Truth be told: It takes a certain kind of personality to be

able to sustain the required level of intense devotion to a
project.
• Stubbornness, and grit, enable us to persist through failures, stick to our
goals, and be willing (without being prompted) to break existing rules, to
be different, and to have the courage to explore new territories.

• There is a lot more research that can be done on the connections between
creativity, personality and other psychological factors.

• But it should be clear, from the onset, that becoming a creative person is
not just a matter of learning some rules of thinking.

• There are lots of other psychological factors involved

 TOPICS TO COVER IN THIS MODULE