Creativity - what is it? Exercises to develop creativity

What is creativity?

Let's figure out what a creative person means. Creativity is a special personal quality that allows you to effectively engage in creative, creative, innovative activities.

Creative people are those who are able to find new and optimal ways to solve problems. They can see a problem from different angles, sometimes seeing it in a way that no one has seen before. However, creativity is not only innovation and creativity, it is a constructive way of thinking that brings practical benefits in various activities.

Obstacles to the development of creative thinking in humans.

If you judge a fish by its ability to climb trees, then it will live its whole life believing its stupidity

Albert Einstein

The desire to be like everyone else, not to stand out, to be like others.

This approach forms a template perception and the neural connections responsible for creating new options different from those that already exist weaken. This problem comes from childhood, when children are taught to be like everyone else.

Or when a child's ideas were crowded out by peers or rejected by parents. Therefore, no one wants to be a black sheep, stands out especially among others, and here the desire to be like the rest appears.

Censorship. Internal criticism of your ideas.

In this case, it is difficult for a person to take his ideas seriously, since his internal censor suppresses them. This also comes from childhood, when people are raised too harshly by authoritarian parents who begin to forbid them everything.

Gradually, this becomes a habit and many internal prohibitions appear and an internal censor is formed, which begins to prohibit everything. Happens unconsciously.

Impatience. The desire to solve the problem as quickly as possible.

Many creative solutions do not come instantly, they take some time; when a person is accustomed to quickly solving problems, it is difficult for him to be creative.

Difficulty in abandoning habitual methods and approaches.

They say that habit is second nature. And our mind actively supports such a system, habits become the norm, they become a way of thinking.

And when we are faced with a question for which we need to find new ideas, we begin to lean towards solutions that are similar to each other, towards patterns, towards our usual experience.

This tendency does not allow us to find new ideas, since they are beyond templates, they are where we have no experience.

What is the difference between creativity and creativity?

Very often people confuse these concepts or use them as synonyms, without thinking about the true meanings of the words. Creativity is also the ability to create new things. However, the concept of creativity refers to art and aesthetic creation, and creativity refers to the area of utilitarian, practical application. These two properties of the human personality can intersect, but do not have to be combined and do not stem from one another.

Modern professions, especially those related to innovation, require creativity - the ability, based on accumulated experience and knowledge, to generate new ideas and methods that optimize the work process or create a unique product. The concept of creativity includes such qualities as determination, the ability to take risks, intelligence, resourcefulness, and quickness of thought. Also, creativity is always accompanied by a broad outlook, because without one, it is difficult to come up with a new solution to a problem.

How to develop creativity

We have already indicated that creativity is related, but identical to such concepts as intelligence and talent, which means it can be cultivated and developed in oneself. Below are recommendations.

How can we do this differently?

To develop creativity, you should ask yourself this question in any situation. For example, you go to work from point A to point B through points C and D. Try to navigate your way through coordinates F and E. Along the way, analyze the changes you see and the emotions you experience. What new things did you discover along the way?

Try to apply approaches from other areas of knowledge and activity to your task

For example, when building a house, you can remember culinary recipes for multi-layered dishes and paint each floor with its own color.

Think about what could improve the quality and value of a job or thing.

The result of human activity in the workplace is a certain product, phenomenon or service. What additions could make it more competitive? At one time, tailors invented the pocket as a detail of clothing, wanting not only to decorate the dress, but also to add functionality to it. Thanks to this, today we have the opportunity to wear various little things in trousers and jackets.

Changing the structure or process of an activity

Analyze the technology of the activity, its sequence and the content of each stage. If the work process is carried out in stages, consider whether it is possible to change places, for example, B.C.A.D instead of the usual A.B.CD

Don't ignore random thoughts

Sometimes a person thinks carefully about a problem but does not find a solution. In such situations, spontaneous outbursts of non-standard thoughts and ideas occur. Such things should not be neglected. If they happen at night, they should be written down. Sometimes such things coming from outside contain valuable applied thoughts.

Try to abstract from knowledge and rely on intuition

With the development of Internet technologies, information haunts people; today you can find the answer to any question on your phone. If you want to develop creative thinking, you should limit yourself to receiving information from the outside.

Look around

For a creative person, the ability to think abstractly and associatively is important. While walking along the streets and parks, look closely and listen to the sounds and phenomena around you. Perhaps they will lead to thoughts that can be applied to solving problems or improving the state of the workflow.

Professions for creative people

Creative thinking is needed in many fields, including business, advertising, science, art and politics. Nowadays, in many job offers you can find a message that the employer is looking for creative people for various positions.

Creativity in business is the ability to adapt to new management styles and change in accordance with changing market conditions. Business, especially small or medium-sized ones, does not tolerate conservatism. Nowadays, the development of business technologies is proceeding very quickly, new advanced training courses, new trends in personnel management, and so on are constantly appearing. Creativity in business is needed for mobility, speed of decision-making and innovation.

Creativity in advertising is the ability to present a product in a new way, from an unexpected angle. In the modern world, a person receives an overwhelming amount of information per day. Advertising specialists no longer know how to attract the attention of a potential consumer without causing irritation in an overly intrusive or flashy way. It is to solve such problems that creative people are needed in advertising. The advertising message must be of high quality, interesting and informative.

Creativity in the service sector is the ability to find new approaches in communicating with people. This area of application of creativity requires not only a good knowledge of people in the everyday sense and developed intuition, but also an accumulated store of knowledge in the field of psychology and sociology. For the sales sector, it is important to be able to present a product in such a way that a potential buyer wants to purchase it; in the hotel business, the design of rooms or, for example, features of guest service can be creative.

Creativity will find a place in almost any profession if it is subordinated to purely utilitarian goals and not confused with creativity. Most often, creative people are those who, in addition to a developed imagination, have knowledge in the field of economics, management, production technology, and so on.

What is creativity

In the 90s of the last century, thanks to the light hand of advertisers, a sonorous word akin to the concept in question appeared in the Russian language - “creative”. It is associated with a flow of creative ideas in connection with advertising texts, slogans and the like.

There is no clear definition of what creativity is. Initially, it gained popularity by replacing its Russian analogue - “fiction” . This word also means a product of human activity, created in a special way, using new approaches and creative solutions.

In business (usually advertising), creativity is solving a problem in a non-standard way, an original idea that solves the customer’s problem.

In this case, it is a really tangible unit that can be measured in ROI - the return on investment for the creation of creative advertising.

Ways to develop creativity

What does the word creative person mean? Creativity is not an innate ability. Yes, there must be prerequisites for it, but it can and should be developed. There are various methods for developing creativity in children and adults. In childhood, attention is paid more to the development of creative abilities and skills, on the basis of which, in combination with acquired experience and knowledge, creativity can subsequently be developed.

Let's look at several exercises to develop this ability.

Discussing an idea in a team where everyone has a specific role: critic, dreamer and realist. Considering a problem from three points of view allows you to see its new facets and solutions.
Creating a tree of associations. A problem is depicted on a piece of paper, with lines running from it where ideas related to it are written. In the process of creating a tree, ideas may arise that would not immediately come to mind.
Take the opposite route. Imagine what needs to be done to ensure that the problem is not solved, and then replace these ideas with the opposite ones.
It is recommended to expand your horizons - to be interested in everything that happens around you. Go to theatres, visit exhibitions, read newspapers, journalism and communicate more often with creative people, they have something to tell.

This is not a complete list of exercises for developing creativity, but they are all related to expanding the horizons of thinking, developing imagination and destroying stereotypes.

Structure of creativity

Like any other ability, creativity is a combination of personality traits. We can distinguish three groups of individual psychological characteristics that ensure success in creative activity: cognitive, emotional and volitional.

Cognitive component

Cognito is translated from Latin as “cognition,” and cognitive abilities are associated with the development of cognitive processes, which occupy a major place in the structure of creativity. These primarily include a special type of thinking characteristic of creative people.

Creative thinking

J. Guilford called the thinking underlying creative abilities divergent (directed in different directions), E. de Bono - lateral (lateral) or unconventional, T. Buzan - radiant. Despite the difference in terms, the essence of this type of thinking is the same - it is non-linear, in contrast to unidirectional, strict and ordered logical.

Creative thinking is also distinguished by a number of features that allow people who possess it to make non-standard decisions and generate original ideas.

Originality is not just the ability to find new solutions and create new images, but also the need for this, as well as the spontaneity of out-of-the-box thinking.
Divergence is the ability to see different options for the development of events and ways to solve problems.
Flexibility is the ability to switch from one problem to another, look for answers in different areas of knowledge, thereby making the thought process more effective.
Speed – high speed of thinking and mental reactions in general.
Associativity is the ability to create associations between various blocks of information and areas of knowledge, to include unexpectedly emerging images and ideas into the thought process.
Imagery – the predominance and development of imaginative thinking; in creativity it is not logical concepts that dominate, but images; it is in this form that new ideas arise.

The combination of these qualities creates a completely special type of thinking that is inherent in creatives. It seems strange and illogical, but it is effective when there is a complex problem that requires a creative approach. This is why creative people often find it difficult to solve intelligence test tasks, since these tasks require one, only correct solution. A creative person sees several solutions and is faced with the problem of choice.

Imagination

Another important cognitive process in the structure of the cognitive component of creative abilities is imagination. As a process of creating new images, it is considered the basis of creativity, its inner core. Imagination allows a person to combine elements of his experience, creating completely new designs endowed with original properties and qualities. No type of creative activity is possible without a well-developed imagination.

Perception, attention and memory

Other cognitive processes also play an important role because they ensure the acquisition and retention of information - the necessary material for creativity. We can even talk about a special type of creative perception, which allows a creative person to see in the world around him what people with a low level of creativity do not notice.

In psychology there is such a thing as sensitivity, that is, sensitivity to external stimuli or influences. A high level of sensitivity is part of creativity. Creatives are able to feel the smallest changes in the world around them - they see many shades of color, hear the nuances of sounds, and notice changes in the mood of the people around them. Creative people are open to any new knowledge coming from the outside world or born from their own thinking. Such sensitivity is largely innate and is associated with the peculiarities of the processes of higher nervous activity. But if desired, sensitivity can be developed if you know what and how to develop it.

Emotional component

Creativity is not limited to the cognitive sphere. Creativity is not only creative thinking, a special perception of the world and a developed imagination. Cognitive processes create potential, an opportunity for creativity, but whether a person will achieve success in some type of creative activity largely depends on his emotional and volitional qualities.

From the point of view of the emotional sphere, creative people are distinguished by the following individual characteristics:

high emotional tone and positive attitude;
brightness and strength of emotions, which allows us to talk about creatives as people with burning hearts;
acceptance of the world and oneself in this world, which in turn determines high self-esteem;
the ability to use creative activity as a “cure” for bad mood, blues and lack of energy;
active life position, intransigence in defending one’s point of view, perseverance and even stubbornness.

Strong emotions support a high level of activity of creative individuals, allow them to stand out from the crowd, make their life bright, lively, and varied. But on the other hand, constant high activity and intense emotions create the danger of “burnout,” overload of the nervous system and a kind of rollback, which is often expressed in apathy and even depression. This, unfortunately, happens to creative individuals if they do not master relaxation methods and relieve emotional stress.

The development of volitional qualities, which play a significant role in the regulation of creative activity, is also very important.

Volitional component

The volitional qualities of a person perform two functions in the structure of creativity: stimulating and inhibiting. Incentive is manifested in maintaining activity, which is necessary for the implementation of a creative plan. It is not enough to find an original solution, you also need to implement it.

No matter how “masterpiece” the idea of an artist or sculptor may be, it will become a work of art only as a result of the hard work of the creator. A brilliant book is born in the head, but it will become available to readers only after many days and nights of hard work, after the writer proves to the publisher the need to publish his masterpiece and the book is edited, laid out, and the edition is printed. No matter how important an invention is, it will not become a reality and will not be available to people if the scientist or designer does not put effort into it.

No one will ever know how many great inventions and brilliant works of art remained “on the couch” without becoming a reality, because their creator was too lazy for this.

To intensify productive activity aimed at realizing a plan, strong-willed qualities are needed:

independence;
initiative;
determination;
self confidence;
perseverance;
persistence.

The ability and desire to achieve success, despite the difficulties, distrust and skepticism of others - this is what distinguishes creatives and without which productive creative activity is impossible. After all, creativity is the creation of something new, and something new is always perceived with distrust. This is the conservative nature of society, and this conservatism and inertia are completely justified, since new things are not always safe.

The most creative people

With the growing interest in the term “creativity” in the last decade, printed publications related to this concept began to appear. Many countries publish their own magazines about creativity. Editors of publishing houses compile lists of the most creative people of the past year. These include owners and founders of advertising agencies, software developers, directors, designers, writers, entrepreneurs, singers and journalists.

According to Creativity magazine, the most creative person is Sachin Agarwal, founder of the website Posterous. Along with him, his colleague Jerry Tan was also named the most creative person.

Why creativity?

Creativity helps to discover prospects where, it would seem, they cannot exist. A person with this quality is never satisfied with what lies on the surface; he searches, creates, creates. It is these people who own the majority of brilliant discoveries in the world (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Pavel Durov). Even if the chosen niche is filled to capacity with competitors, they will find a way to surprise the world and squeeze out their rivals. They are able to find an unexpected way out of even the most confusing situation.

Creative ideas are in demand in all spheres of human life. In business - this is the development of new projects and an increase in profits, in writing - exciting stories that you cannot tear yourself away from, in psychology - new horizons of human communication, in scientific research - the latest stage of world development, in the work of an advertising agent - a slogan that will glorify him products all over the world. Creativity and creativity are inseparable from each other; they are two components of human progress. Creativity is impossible without a creative approach, and creativity will be gray and mediocre without an admixture of creativity.

Signs of a creative person

And yet, what does a creative person mean? Like all internal human qualities, creativity has an external manifestation in behavior.

By what signs can such a person be distinguished from the crowd?

Creative people are brave people. They are not afraid to try new things.
Intuition is no less important a decision-making tool for them than logic.
Creative people have a great sense of humor.
Creative people are those who share their thoughts and ideas with others.
They easily understand the most intricate interweaving of information. Creative people subject the information received to critical reflection and never follow the crowd's lead.
They are interested in the process itself, and not just the result.
They love to learn new things and look for answers to the most difficult questions. The more difficult the task, the more willingly a creative, creative person will take on it.
Creative people are always in search of: solutions, answers, knowledge and ideas.
Creative people are excellent teachers. They easily explain things that are difficult to understand to others, trace connections between existing material and create new things from it.
A creative person does not tolerate boundaries or boundaries. He constantly expands his horizons, tries on new points of view.
Creative people are innovators. They are interested in testing new ideas and find themselves competitive in the future.

Features of creative thinking

You can develop it in yourself.

The whole point here is in the neural connections. Let me give you a simple example.

If we begin to actively use a calculator, using it to solve any arithmetic problems that come our way, then gradually we can notice that the ability of the mind to solve simple arithmetic problems is significantly reduced.

This can be observed among foreign students at various European universities, where the use of calculators even in exams is the norm.

In this case the following situation occurs:

The mind is always in saving mode and when it sees that some ability is practically not used, it begins to reduce resources in this direction. And the neural connections responsible for this ability gradually fade.

The same thing happens with creative thinking if we have not developed it in any way in life and have not tried to apply it in solving the problems facing us. It is natural to assume that our neural connections responsible for this type of thinking are very weak.

Creativity and creativity are not the same thing. Although in general they are similar.

Creative processes are entirely tied to the inspiration of the author, and when a person begins to think creatively, he pursues certain results. His thinking is productive and pragmatic. It has little to do with inspiration.

Develops at any age, as they say, it’s never too late to learn.

And there are a number of examples of this:

Fashion for creativity

Currently, every second resume in the “additional information” column indicates a quality – creativity. What is a creative person? Is it so important to be creative? Yes, many specialties require making innovative decisions, the ability to think outside the box and present oneself or a product in a non-trivial way. But at the same time, there are enough specialties that do not require a creative approach. In everyday life, the meaning of this feature is even more blurred. With the fashion for creativity, many people want to appear creative and inventive even when communicating with their friends.

A non-creative person is not a person without imagination, unable to think beyond stereotyped constructions. Creativity is, rather, an integral quality for some areas of professional activity, rather than vitally necessary in everyday life. A person does not have to be creative, but it is useful to develop creative abilities at any age.

Examples of creativity in life

An unexpected situation occurred: for example, a table broke. Many people will not think twice and will take the table to the trash. However, a creative person will be able to make himself a new universal and unique piece of furniture from the table. Thus, you can avoid a new purchase, and also please yourself with a new idea and the implementation of this idea.
Creation of advertising. The work of a PR manager requires a quality - creativity. There are criteria for advertising: informing, persuading and reminding. Creativity will help you approach the issue of persuasion and reminder wisely.

What is the creative class and does it exist in Russia?

The creative class in Europe and America is usually called people who design and create new ideas, images, and products. These are designers, advertising specialists, marketers, and so on. The global task of the so-called creative class is to change the world, make it more convenient and adapt it to the needs of the population. In a less global sense - to give an attractive appearance to products, introduce any innovations related to everyday comfort, add functionality to household items and equipment. In Russia there is no creative class as such. Here these people are in the minority, since society currently needs creative developments less than European or American ones. This is due to the peculiarities of culture and mentality. However, we can say for sure that the creative direction of activity in Russia is developing. New niches are being found and created in the service market where creative specialists are required. It is difficult to predict whether Russia will catch up with Europe in this sense, but there is no doubt that the creative class will develop in Russia as well.

Part 1. What is creative thinking and how to measure it

Creative thinking is considered one of the key skills of the 21st century.
All enlightened people talk about the importance of its development. Unfortunately, they don’t talk about how to evaluate your creativity and whether it can be improved. My post is an attempt to provide answers to these questions using the achievements of modern science. First you need to understand what creative thinking is. I liked the following definition: Creative thinking is the creation of unusual and good solutions to an original problem. This definition breaks down the creative thinking process into two stages:

creating unusual solutions
choosing solutions that are good enough to deal with the problem

According to this principle, there are two types of creative thinking:

divergent - the ability to come up with several solutions to the same problem
convergent - the ability to choose the most optimal solution from the available ones

The main way to measure the work of divergent thinking is to give a task to come up with ways to use objects. For example, “think of as many ways to use a brick as possible.” If you have read the book Harry Potter and the Methods of Rational Thinking, you may remember the following episode. In Chapter 16, “Thinking Outside the Box,” Professor Quirrell asks Harry to come up with ten creative ways to use objects in the training room for combat. This is a standard task to test the functioning of divergent thinking, which was proposed by the famous psychologist Joy Paul Guilford, creator of the model of the structure of intelligence.

The results are assessed according to the following 4 criteria:

Flexibility - number of unique categories of use
. Using a brick as a murder weapon or as a means of rendering a person unconscious will count as one category of use. But using a brick as an iron will fall into a new category.
Novelty - originality of use
.
This parameter is measured in two ways: subjective and objective. The subjective method
is quite simple: each of the examiners gives a rating from 1 to 5, based on their own ideas and experience.
Oddly enough, this method has extensive scientific validation. Objective method
- examiners write down how many times participants suggested using the item in a certain way. For example, a brick as a murder weapon. And then they consider the relative novelty of the proposed option.
Usefulness - practicality in use
. Everything is quite simple here. If you can use the suggested ideas in real life, then they have a high usefulness rating. You are unlikely to use a brick as an iron. A brick can be used as a murder weapon if it comes as a surprise to the victim. As for replacing a stool, it’s very likely that you’ve already done this at least once in your life. Professor Quirrel reproached Harry precisely for the low usefulness of the ideas he proposed.
Fluency is the total number of non-repeating options
. If you wrote “use a brick as a footstool” and “use a brick as a stool,” then the two options will count as one.

The performance of convergent thinking is tested using the Mednick Verbal Creativity Test (RAT test). You are offered three words. Task: choose a fourth word that will combine the other three. For example, the words “civil”, “great” and “world” are united by the word “war”. In original testing, words of different parts of speech are often used: adjective, noun, adverb, etc.

Another way is to solve visual insight puzzles. Classic task: connect nine dots using 4 straight lines without lifting the pencil from the paper. Try to solve this problem yourself. In order not to ruin the fun for those who first scroll through the entire article before reading, I will not give the correct answer to the problem. It's pretty easy to find on the Internet.

What is creativity for?

This quality is used in various fields to solve different problems. In general, creativity is needed to optimize, improve, increase efficiency, increase functionality and production capacity. In a word – for a qualitative leap forward. In science and production, creativity is needed to invent new equipment, new technology, even production technologies themselves. Creativity makes our life more interesting, colorful and comfortable. The transition from an industrial society to a post-industrial one was marked by the expansion of the service sector. Currently, the ability to present a service or product to a potential consumer plays an important role in this area.

Beauty, energy and novelty combined with practical use - this is the creativity that, in practical application, gives aesthetic pleasure and everyday comfort.

Development of figurative creativity in children of senior preschool age

Olga Vasilenko

Development of figurative creativity in children of senior preschool age

THEORETICAL APPROACH TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF IMAGINATIVE CREATIVITY IN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN PSYCHOLOGY

1.1 The concept of “ creativity ”

and theories
of creativity in domestic and foreign psychology
Relevance of the study: In the context of the constantly accelerating dynamics of processes in culture, economics, politics, and various areas of professional and work activity, creativity . This quality ensures the possibility of successful adaptation of the individual to the changing realities of life, imparting a creative character to work, leisure, education and, ultimately, the self-realization of a person. Creativity refers to the ability to see things in a new and unusual light and find unique solutions to problems . Creativity is the exact opposite of patterned thinking. It takes you away from banal ideas and the usual way of looking at things and gives birth to original solutions.

Intelligence researchers have long come to the conclusion that there is a weak connection between human creativity and learning abilities and intellectual abilities. In creative activity, an important role is played by the characteristics of temperament, the ability to quickly assimilate and generate ideas, etc. Creative abilities can manifest themselves in various types of activities. To the question that concerns many parents, whether it is possible to develop , whether it is possible to teach creativity , psychologists answer: yes. This is due to the fact that the senior preschool age is very receptive, plastic, and such a mental function as imagination . In other words, the ages from three to seven years are most favorable for the development of creativity .

The problem of the formation of figurative creativity is important and requires deep and thorough study. The relevance of the problem determined the choice of our topic: “ Development of figurative creativity in children of senior preschool age .”

The purpose of the study is to study the development of figurative creativity in children of senior preschool age .

The object of study is the process of figurative creativity .

The subject of the study is the development of figurative creativity in children of senior preschool age .

Methodological basis of the study: recent decades have been characterized by a significant increase in attention to the development of creative abilities of preschool children . The works of foreign and domestic researchers who were involved in the development of the topic of creativity . In foreign psychology F. Barron, E. Torrance, J. Guilford, S. Mednick, K. Rogers, J. Renzulli, R. Sternberg, G. Wallace, etc.

In domestic psychology, the concept of creativity was considered by D. B. Bogoyavlenskaya, Y. A. Ponamareva, A. M. Matyushkina, V. N. Druzhinin, V. N. Kozlenko, E. P. Yakovleva, T. N. Kozhina, M. A. Kholodnaya, V. S. Yurkevich et al.

Imaginative creativity includes not only developed thinking , but also the creative qualities of the individual. The methodological basis of our research is the concept of J. Guilford.

The concept of " creativity "

and theories
of creativity in domestic and foreign psychology
Today, the formation of creativity and creative approach skills in the process of working with preschool . As a component of life creativity, creativity involves the development of the aesthetic , individual and creative potential of the individual, the foundations of which are laid at an early age .

The modernization of the modern education is guided by European standards. personal development becomes especially relevant . The phenomenon of creativity has always worried many philosophers, educators, and representatives of the arts. At different times, attitudes towards this problem have also changed. Today, the formation of creativity , in particular creative imagination and thinking , takes on new content.

The word " creativity "

comes from the Latin creation, which translated into Russian means
“creation”
- this is the general ability for creativity that characterizes the personality as a whole; manifests itself in different spheres of activity and is considered as a relatively independent factor of giftedness.

There are many definitions of creativity . So, K. Rogers (1994)

Understands
creativity as the ability to discover new ways of solving problems and new ways of expression. [23,157] Also, S.I. Makshanov and N.Yu. Khryashcheva define creativity as “the ability for constructive, non-standard thinking and behavior, for awareness and development of one’s experience .”[23,159]
Under creativity V. G. Kamenskaya and I. E. Melnikova understand “the personal characteristics of a creatively gifted person associated with his creation of new material and ideal products.”[23,159]

P. Torrens distinguishes between naive and cultural creativity . Naive creativity is inherent in children due to their lack of experience. The essence of cultural creativity is in overcoming experience , in a conscious desire to get away from stereotypes and templates.

Csikzentmihalyi, Feldman and co-authors Sternberg and Lubart believe that the process of creativity is specific to different fields of activity and knowledge. In this regard, intellectual and artistic creativity . Also distinguished is entrepreneurial creativity , which reflects the need to create a new product, new services or organizations to which a person has ownership rights.

In foreign psychology, a distinction is made between so-called major and minor creativity . M. Boden translated this into terms of “historical”

and
“personal” creativity . The first deals with achievements that have had a significant impact on culture and society, the second relates to everyday life and everyday situations (for example, using a coin to cut cheese when there is no knife)
.[23,175]

There is also communicative creativity - the manifestation of creativity when collaborating with other people in the process of creative activity and the ability to motivate the creativity of others, the ability to accumulate the creative experience of others.

In addition, cognitive and personal creativity . Cognitive creativity includes verbal and non-verbal (
figurative ) creativity .
A. Maslow divides creativity into two types : creativity of talent and creativity of self-actualization . He writes that the latter is much more widespread and has a closer connection with personality, manifesting itself in everyday life not only in the great and obvious products of creativity, but also in numerous other ways, for example, in a peculiar sense of humor , a tendency to do something creatively. [23, 177]

G. A. Glotova divides creativity into universal creativity - the ability to limitlessly change the forms and mechanisms of human life in the world, and potential with actual - manifested in the form of non-standard products of a special level and quality.

I. B. Dermanova and M. A. Krylova identified such types of creativity as non-verbal , verbal-symbolic, verbal-semantic, verbal-associative and creativity as a creative attitude to life and established that all of them are not interconnected with each other.

Based on the analysis of information, it can be assumed that the psychological structure of creativity includes a system of creative parameters .

J. Guilford proposed a cubic model of the structure of intelligence and identified four main parameters of creativity :

1) originality – the ability to produce distant associations, unusual answers;

2) semantic flexibility - the ability to identify the main property of an object and propose a new way of using it;

3) figurative-adaptive flexibility - the ability to change the form of a stimulus in such a way as to see in it new signs and opportunities for use;

4) semantic spontaneous flexibility - the production of various ideas in an unregulated situation.

General intelligence is not included in the structure of creativity .

Later, J. Guilford identified six parameters of creativity :

— ability to identify and pose problems;

- ability to generate a large number of ideas;

- flexibility - the ability to produce different ideas;

— originality – the ability to respond outside the box;

- the ability to improve an object by adding details;

- the ability to solve problems, that is, the ability to analyze and synthesize. [16,264]

Describing the main signs of creativity , A. Maslow relied on improvisation and inspiration, and also warned against attempts to consider creativity from the point of view of practical use, productivity in the form of created works of art. He notes that creativity is divided into primary and secondary characteristics. The primary feature - inspired creativity - is necessarily separated from the secondary feature - detailing the creative product and giving it a specific objective form. The secondary trait involves not so much creativity as hard work; its success depends on stubbornness, patience, hard work and endurance, since they are the basis of this stage.

A. Maslow also highlights the characteristic features of a creative personality: rejection of the past; refusal of the future; naivety; renunciation of one's own self

, self-forgetfulness, refusal of self-control; giving up fear; disabling defense mechanisms and self-restraints; strength and courage; positive attitude; trusting instead of fighting; return to primary perception; aesthetic comprehension; absolute spontaneity; complete self-fulfillment and self-realization.

A. Maslow was of the opinion that “the problem of creativity is a problem of a creative personality (and not creative activity , not creative behavior ).”[33,123] In other words, a creative personality is a special kind of person, and not just a person who has acquired a certain new skill.

The works of foreign and domestic researchers who were involved in the development of the topic of creativity . In foreign psychology F. Barron, E. Torrance, J. Guilford, S. Mednick, K. Rogers, J. Renzulli, R. Sternberg, G. Wallace, etc.

Among domestic psychologists, the concept of creativity was considered by D. B. Bogoyavlenskaya, Y. A. Ponamareva, A. M. Matyushkina, V. N. Druzhinin, V. N. Kozlenko, E. P. Yakovleva, T. N. Kozhina, M. A. Kholodnaya, V. S. Yurkevich et al.

In general, in psychological science there are two main approaches to the study and understanding of creativity : cognitive (cognitive)

and personal.

1. Cognitive (cognitive)

an approach.

Creative thinking (cognitive direction)

considered by such psychologists as N. Kogan, G. Gruber, S. Mednik, E. Torrence, J. Guilford, G. Walms and others.

Creativity is closely related to both interest and exploratory behavior, and the search for new sensations - the desire to do something new, to diversify one's activities .

J. Guilford developed the concept of creativity as a universal cognitive ability that promotes creative thinking processes. The basis of this concept was his model of the structure of intelligence. The scientist pointed out the fundamental differences between two types of mental operations: convergence and divergence. Convergent thinking is actualized when a person solves a problem based on many conditions and finds the only correct solution. There may be several such specific solutions, but this set is always limited. Divergent thinking is defined as a type of thinking that goes in a variety of directions . This type of thinking allows for varying ways to solve a problem and leads to unexpected conclusions and results.

According to J. Guilford, the basis of creativity is represented by the operations of divergent thinking. With its help, a person does not direct all his efforts to find the right solution, but begins to look for solutions to the problem in all possible directions in order to explore several options. Divergent thinking helps a person create new combinations from familiar elements or find connections between two elements that, at first glance, have nothing in common with each other. [36,47]

This division makes it possible to highlight verbal creativity (divergent abilities)

and
figurative (convergent)
.

to be creative if there is no creative environment.

J. Guilford separated intellectual abilities from creative ones . But their relationship and interrelation remain debatable to this day. Currently in psychology there are three main views on the interaction of two general abilities - intelligence and creativity .

a) Creativity and intelligence are the only human abilities. This view is shared by such scientists as D. Wexler, G. Azenc, R. Stenberg and others. High intelligence ensures a high level of creativity . Low intelligence - lack of any creativity . The main idea is not that creativity and intelligence are the only abilities, but that creativity is a derivative of intelligence. Much research on this issue was carried out by L. Theremin, his works are considered classics. According to the scientist, early intellectuals adapt extremely successfully to society, but a high level of intelligence does not guarantee creative achievements. You can be an intellectual and not become a creator.

b) Creativity and intelligence as unrelated general abilities. It is this concept of creativity as a universal creative ability that gained importance and came into force thanks to J. Guilford. Many scientists adhere to this position. They believe that creativity is not adaptation to the world, but its transformation. To overcome alienation from reality and adapt to the surrounding existence, a person begins to create. A. Adler considered creativity a means of compensating for the inferiority complex he discovered. [1,256] One of the first defenders of this interpretation was L. Thurstone, who drew attention to the difference between creative abilities and learning abilities; the emergence of creative solutions is facilitated by relaxation and dispersion of attention, rather than conscious concentration on solving problems.

c) Lack of creative abilities as such. This view combines the intransigence of the first two concepts. Although creativity and intelligence are different phenomena, there is a certain connection between them. Intellectual talent is certainly necessary, but this condition alone is not enough to be a creative and active person. Motivation, values and personal qualities play a major role in activating creative behavior.

E. Torrance studied creativity in dynamics and considered the possibilities of purposeful influence on its development . creativity as a natural process generated by the individual’s strong need to relieve the tension that arises as a result of discomfort caused by uncertainty or incompleteness of activity. E. Torrence identified creativity as a process with the following components: sensitivity to problems, a feeling of dissatisfaction and insufficiency of one’s knowledge, sensitivity to missing elements and disharmony, awareness of the problem, search for a solution, guesses related to what is missing for a solution, formulation of hypotheses , testing and retesting these hypotheses, modifying them, and reporting the results.

2. Personality-oriented approach.

Creativity as a personal category is based on identifying the interconnections of mental phenomena that most significantly reflect the creative personality traits. It is characterized by a set of significant personal characteristics, among which are:

- general and specific (as creativity and creative individuality)

;

— the dialectical process of transition of the potential into the actual as creative potential into creative ability;

— the relationship between the conscious and unconscious in the structure of creativity .

The presence of unconscious components in the structure of creativity is an important point . The spontaneity and unconsciousness of many subconscious processes often manifest themselves in the unpredictability of the creative process. Some scientists believe that the very ability to express ideas that come from the subconscious is the key to the creative process (S. Mednik, A. Maslow, D. Ushakov)

Creativity is determined not so much by a critical attitude to the new from the point of view of existing experience, but by receptivity to new ideas.

The personality-oriented approach is considered in the works of A. Adler, F. Barron, A. Maslow, K. Rogers, D. Harington and others.

Today creativity is considered mainly as a function of a holistic personality, which depends on a whole complex of its psychological characteristics. Accordingly, the central direction in the study of creativity is the identification of psychological and personal qualities with which the personality is associated. Creativity involves heightened sensitivity to a problem and to knowledge deficits or inconsistencies. Thus , in addition to verbal and figurative creativity there are also separate creative abilities : speed, flexibility, originality, the ability to see the essence of the problem, the ability to resist stereotypes.

The personal approach to the study of creativity involves the study of characterological, emotional, motivational, and communicative qualities of a creative personality. A. Maslow connects the creative process with “actualization”

.
It stems from the fact that creativity is inherent in all of our lives. A. Maslow considers emotional health as a product of creative self-expression, equating the concepts of “self-actualization”
and
“
creativity ” in relation to personality.
Creativity is a universal characteristic of all self-actualized people. The creativity of self-actualized people has a number of specific features. Their creativity is not B's creativity . Mozart, this is not genius, not a specific gift. Genius has practically nothing to do with the personal qualities of a genius; it is incomprehensible. The creativity of a self-actualized person is the same as the creativity of a child who has not yet been spoiled by the influence of culture.
Researcher D. B. Bogoyavlenskaya claims that a creative personality type is characteristic of all innovators, regardless of the type of activity. She proposes intellectual activity as a system-creating factor of creativity, which is considered as an integral formation , a property of a holistic personality, which reflects the procedural interaction of the intellectual and motivational components of the system in their unity and ensures the individual’s ability to perform situationally unstimulated productive activity. [6.24]

U. D. Kozlenko, based on empirical research, found that in the thinking of creative individuals such components of creativity as fluency, flexibility and originality predominate. Creativity is favorably influenced by factors such as: joy, passion, a surge of sthenic emotions, the desire for dominance, risk, a desire for independence, disruption of order, and the removal of feelings of fear and frustration . Creativity is one of the leading life needs of an individual. [26,131]

V.N. Druzhinin also considered creativity and intelligence as two different general abilities and connected their existence with the processes of information processing. Creativity and intelligence serve opposite functions. Creativity is responsible for transforming information and generating a huge number of new models of the world. Intelligence – for using this information in real practice. [19.64]

A. Tannenbaum, A. Olokh, D. B. Bogoyavlenskaya, A. Maslow and others in their studies came to the conclusion that cognitive talent, sensitivity to problems, independence in uncertain and difficult situations are the main qualities of a creative personality. The most striking example of this view would be the concept of the “intellectual threshold.”

E. Torrens.
The scientist has proven that the interaction between intelligence and creativity depends on IQ. With low and average IQ scores (up to 115-120),
intelligence and
creativity are the only factors. Therefore, the level of intelligence is the corresponding level of creativity .
E. Grigorenko revealed that creativity and intelligence are needed to solve mental problems, but the role and functions of these abilities are different and their dominance will change depending on the stage of problem solving. [17, 34]

Research by some scientists also touches on the relationship between intelligence and creativity in children , in particular older preschoolers . Thus, M. S. Egorova states “The level of intelligence at an older age depends to some extent on creativity at a younger age , but not vice versa. Creativity and intelligence continue to influence each other, but this influence is delayed and therefore can only be noticed when compared between ages (for example, creativity at 6 years old and intelligence at 7 years old)

[22,36] This pattern is very important for teaching practice.
After all, it provides additional motivation for the development of a person’s creative abilities. This is how “
creative manifestations ” is characterized .

G. V. Ozhiganova puts a completely different meaning into this concept: “The recorded primary delayed creative manifestations of children in an experimental situation indicate that the vast majority of those studied need enough time for creativity to manifest itself . Therefore, we can talk about the existence of an incubation period, during which the formation of creativity , due to the accumulation of new personal experience by children.”[42,75]

According to scientists, to increase the opportunities for the development of imaginative creativity in children of senior preschool age, it is necessary:

— development of programs to identify and develop creative parameters among older preschoolers ;

— development of programs aimed at developing in the child a persistent need for constant updating of knowledge, the ability to analyze and synthesize;

— development of trainings with modeling situations aimed at developing thinking in preschoolers that differs from stereotypical ones.

It must be noted that high levels of creativity in children do not in any way guarantee their creative achievements in the future, but only increase the likelihood of their occurrence in the presence of high motivation for creativity and mastery of the necessary creative skills. Among the conditions that stimulate the development of creativity are the following:

- situations of incompleteness or openness, as opposed to strictly defined and strictly controlled;

— resolution and encouragement of a huge number of issues;

— promoting responsibility and independence;

— emphasis on independent developments, observations, feelings, generalizations.

Hinder the development of creativity in the individual : risk avoidance; the desire to succeed at any cost; rigid stereotypes in thinking and behavior; disapproving assessments of the imagination (fantasies, research; worship of authorities.

The movement is not for the reward, but for the process itself

Creative people are not interested in the reward that awaits them at the end of the road. They enjoy the process of moving towards their goal. They simply love to solve complex problems, create the world, learn and create something new that does not fit into the framework of their usual life. Naturally, money means a lot to a person, but if a creative person does everything only in the name of money, one fine day he will cease to be a generator of ideas, becoming a gray mediocrity.

Creative - this means full of bright, non-standard ideas and unexpected solutions. Develop your creativity, and soon you will become a person who will be admired, offered promising positions and carried in their arms!