Sternberg's Theory of Creativity(ZT)# Parenting - 为人父母
W*e
1 楼
In my reading of psychological literature, there are numerous hypotheses and
theories of creativity that conflict with what I have observed in creative
colleagues and what I have read in biographies of creative scientists and
composers of music. However, the following theory of creativity, put forth
by Prof. Sternberg at Yale University, makes sense to me. Sternberg says
that all of the following are essential: a lack of any one item in the list
precludes creativity. I think he is correct, except for the last item: it is
not necessary to have a favorable environment, although such an environment
certainly makes life easier for creative people.
Intelligence
synthetic intelligence. The ability to combine existing information in a new
way.
analytic intelligence. The ability to distinguish between new ideas that
have potential, and new ideas that are not worth further work. This ability
is essential to an effective allocation of resources, by evaluating the
quality of new ideas.
practical intelligence. The ability to sell one's ideas to funding agencies,
managers, editors, reviewers, etc. Without "practical intelligence" the
creative person will not be allocated resources to develop their ideas, and
the creative person may achieve recognition only posthumously.
Knowledge gives the ability to recognize what is genuinely new. The history
of science shows that many good ideas are discovered independently by more
than one person. Scientists and engineers must be familiar with the
technical literature, in order to avoid "reinventing the wheel". On the
other hand, too much knowledge might block creativity, by immediately
providing reasons why a new idea is not worth pursuing and by encouraging a
person to be rigid in their thinking.
Knowledge is also important to provide skills necessary to design
experiments, to design new products, to analyze the results of experiments,
do computations, etc.
Thinking Styles. Creative people question conventional wisdom, instead of
passively accepting that wisdom. Creative people question common assumptions
and rules, instead of mindlessly follow them. This style brings creative
people into conflict with society around them, so it is also essential to
have a personality that tolerates this conflict, as explained in the next
item in this list.
Personality. Creative people take the risk to defy conventional wisdom and
to be a nonconformist. Creative people have the courage to persist, even
when the people around them provide objections, criticism, ridicule, and
other obstacles. Most people are too timid to be really creative.
Motivation
intrinsic or personal. Creative people genuinely enjoy their work and set
their own goals.
extrinsic. There are a number of extrinsic motivators: money, promotions,
prizes, praise, fame, etc. Extrinsic motivators mostly focus on an end
result, not the process of discovery or creativity. In highly creative
people, extrinsic motivators appear to be less important than intrinsic
motivators.
Environmental Context. Many environments (particularly managers and
bureaucracy) discourage creativity. A creative individual who could flourish
in one environment can become a routine, ordinary worker in another
environment. The optimum environment for creative people is where they can
be paid to do their creative work, so creativity is a full-time job, not a
spare-time hobby.
Permit me to explain my disagreement with Prof. Sternberg on the last item:
a favorable environment. Many types of creative work (e.g., research in
theoretical physics, writing books, composing music, etc.) require minimal
physical resources, so such creative activities can be accomplished in one's
personal time at nights, weekends, and holidays. If one is employed in an
environment that discourages creativity, one can still be creative on one's
personal time. In this sense, a favorable environment is not necessary for
creativity.
On the other hand, other types of creative work (e.g., experiments in
physics, chemistry, engineering, etc.) can require expensive laboratory
apparatus. A scientist without access to such laboratory facilities is
prohibited from doing creative work in experimental science. So, in this
sense, I agree with Prof. Sternberg that a favorable environment can be
necessary for creative work.
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theories of creativity that conflict with what I have observed in creative
colleagues and what I have read in biographies of creative scientists and
composers of music. However, the following theory of creativity, put forth
by Prof. Sternberg at Yale University, makes sense to me. Sternberg says
that all of the following are essential: a lack of any one item in the list
precludes creativity. I think he is correct, except for the last item: it is
not necessary to have a favorable environment, although such an environment
certainly makes life easier for creative people.
Intelligence
synthetic intelligence. The ability to combine existing information in a new
way.
analytic intelligence. The ability to distinguish between new ideas that
have potential, and new ideas that are not worth further work. This ability
is essential to an effective allocation of resources, by evaluating the
quality of new ideas.
practical intelligence. The ability to sell one's ideas to funding agencies,
managers, editors, reviewers, etc. Without "practical intelligence" the
creative person will not be allocated resources to develop their ideas, and
the creative person may achieve recognition only posthumously.
Knowledge gives the ability to recognize what is genuinely new. The history
of science shows that many good ideas are discovered independently by more
than one person. Scientists and engineers must be familiar with the
technical literature, in order to avoid "reinventing the wheel". On the
other hand, too much knowledge might block creativity, by immediately
providing reasons why a new idea is not worth pursuing and by encouraging a
person to be rigid in their thinking.
Knowledge is also important to provide skills necessary to design
experiments, to design new products, to analyze the results of experiments,
do computations, etc.
Thinking Styles. Creative people question conventional wisdom, instead of
passively accepting that wisdom. Creative people question common assumptions
and rules, instead of mindlessly follow them. This style brings creative
people into conflict with society around them, so it is also essential to
have a personality that tolerates this conflict, as explained in the next
item in this list.
Personality. Creative people take the risk to defy conventional wisdom and
to be a nonconformist. Creative people have the courage to persist, even
when the people around them provide objections, criticism, ridicule, and
other obstacles. Most people are too timid to be really creative.
Motivation
intrinsic or personal. Creative people genuinely enjoy their work and set
their own goals.
extrinsic. There are a number of extrinsic motivators: money, promotions,
prizes, praise, fame, etc. Extrinsic motivators mostly focus on an end
result, not the process of discovery or creativity. In highly creative
people, extrinsic motivators appear to be less important than intrinsic
motivators.
Environmental Context. Many environments (particularly managers and
bureaucracy) discourage creativity. A creative individual who could flourish
in one environment can become a routine, ordinary worker in another
environment. The optimum environment for creative people is where they can
be paid to do their creative work, so creativity is a full-time job, not a
spare-time hobby.
Permit me to explain my disagreement with Prof. Sternberg on the last item:
a favorable environment. Many types of creative work (e.g., research in
theoretical physics, writing books, composing music, etc.) require minimal
physical resources, so such creative activities can be accomplished in one's
personal time at nights, weekends, and holidays. If one is employed in an
environment that discourages creativity, one can still be creative on one's
personal time. In this sense, a favorable environment is not necessary for
creativity.
On the other hand, other types of creative work (e.g., experiments in
physics, chemistry, engineering, etc.) can require expensive laboratory
apparatus. A scientist without access to such laboratory facilities is
prohibited from doing creative work in experimental science. So, in this
sense, I agree with Prof. Sternberg that a favorable environment can be
necessary for creative work.
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