from Part V - Paradoxes and Creativity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 April 2025
Creativity may also be viewed as a capacity of the human mind (i.e., an ability to generate ideas that are novel, unexpected, and valuable). Creativity indicates a constellation of traits: Creative persons are self-confident, independent, and unopposed to risk-taking. They have good intuition and display flexible, original thinking; moreover, they dare to differ, challenge routines, and – if necessary – bend a few rules. Finally, creative people can think flexibly. Creative people generate ideas that, at the time, are viewed as novel and perhaps ridiculous, as well as “unreasonable.” Some authors perceive the origins of creativity as a “wonder,” happening in both historical and mundane contexts. The best examples of creativity come from children, as they are free from the pressures of achievement or competition. Children simply play, addressing challenges and innovating. Creativity can be characterized as the mutual reinforcement of two distinct mental models, namely, convergent and divergent thinking, the latter being usually a spontaneous, free-flowing process, where thoughts appear in a “non-logical” manner. Some examples of divergent thinking are herein presented.
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