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Key Words divergent thinking, ideation, originality, flexibility, domains of performance, implicit theories, problem finding
Abstract Creativity has clear benefits for individuals and society as a whole. Not surprisingly, a great deal of research has focused on creativity, especially in the past 20 years. This chapter reviews the creativity research, first looking to the relevant traits, capacities, influences, and products, and then within disciplinary perspectives on creativity (e.g., biological, cognitive, developmental, organizational). Great headway is being made in creativity research, but more dialogue between perspectives is suggested. New and important areas of research are highlighted, and the various costs and benefits of creativity are discussed.
INTRODUCTION
The world is becoming more and more complex. Modern conveniences abound, and technology seems to have touched everything from cooking to mass production, from communication to driving. In some ways life today is easier than ever before. In other ways, it is more difficult. Although we may now use a cellular phone to keep track of family members and to synchronize our appointments, we must also master cell phone operation-and update the requisite skills each time we buy a new cell phone. We must also develop new skills to operate our televisions, ovens, automobiles, and computers. Perhaps it would be most accurate to say that we have more opportunities than ever before, but more demands are placed upon us as well.
This complexity is increasing and will continue to do so. The information boom is not slowing down, and technological advances are occurring more often. Such changes reflect cultural evolution, which is unlike biological evolution in its rapidity. Although there is some debate about this (Gould 2002), biological evolution seems to take a great deal of time; changes are not maintained until they have been selected for generations and generations. Cultural evolution, on the other hand, can be seen in changes that occur from one generation to the next. This is Lamarckian, in contrast to Darwinian, evolution (Wilson 1978). It is fast and part of the reason life today is so complicated and complex.
All of this implies that creativity is more important now than ever before. This is because creativity is a useful and effective response to evolutionary changes. In addition to what may be its most obvious...