In this lecture, I cover development of creativity in humans during the childhood

1. Creativity#2: Creativity Development
Tathagat Varma
Knowledgepreneur
http://thoughtleadership.in

2. Why research in creativity has
been neglected?
Traditional belief that creativity was hereditary, and
hence, nothing could be done to make some “Creative”
It was believed that only a few people had the ability to
create, so no need to focus on that minority
Hard workers were more likely to be successful than the
creative types, and hence little incentive there.
Creative people were considered “sex inappropriate”,
and hence focus more on “practical” skills
Creativity is difficult to study and measure
Child Development – Elizabeth Hurlock

3. Hurlock
Creativity is making something new and different, and thus unique (even if others
might have made something very similar)
However, creativity doesn’t always (have to) lead to products that can be observed
and judged. E.g., in daydreaming
Hence creativity is more of a process – it is the act of producing than the end result
of the act!
Creativity is more goal-directed, even though the goal might be no more than the
immediate pleasure the person derives from the activities.
Requires “divergent thinking” (Guilford) while conformity and everyday problem
solving comes from convergent thinking
Creativity is often synonymous with imagination and fantasy, and is a form of
mental play. A form of controlled imagination.
The ability to create depends on the acquisition of accepted knowledge.

4. Is Creativity inherited?
It was earlier believed that creativity was inherited, and
nothing needs to be done to develop it – it will develop
“automatically”
However, now we recognize that all children have the
potential to be creative, though they differ in the
degree of creativity they possess
In 2009, a HBR study published that Creativity is 20%
inherited and 80% learned behavior.
Recent research seems to suggest that heredity might
have little more role than thought previously!

5. Is Creativity same as
Intelligence?
Creativity makes use of knowledge previously acquired,
and hence depends on the intellectual capabilities of
the individual
To that end, there is a positive correlation
However, we do see exceptions!

6. Creativity Syndrome
A cluster of related traits among the creative people
Flexibility, nonconformity, need for autonomy, need for
independence, high aspiration, self-discipline,
playfulness, liking the manipulation of ideas,
assertiveness, reserve, self-assurance, sense of humor,
open-mindedness, intellectual persistence, self-
confidence, curiosity, enjoyment of calculated risk
when success depends on own ability, sex-inappropriate
interests, timidity in social situations, preference for
fantasy over real adventures, venturesomeness, and
pursuit of self-chosen interests

7. Critical Periods in
Development of Creativity
5-6 years: getting ready to school, they must learn to accept
authority – the more stricter it is, the more it could stifle
creativity
8-10 years: desire to be accepted by the social group forces
conformance to the group’s set norms
13-15 years: peer acceptance, especially from opposite sex,
controls the adolescent behavior
17-19 years: preparation for the vocation could require
conforming to a standard pattern
Normally peak during 30s and 40s, and either pleateu or
gradually decline

8. Variations in Creativity
Gender:
Socioeconomic Status:
Ordinal Position:
Family Size:
Urban vs Rural:
Intelligence:

9. Variations in Creativity
Gender: Boys show greater creativity than girls,
especially as childhood advances – perhaps because of
how they are treated differently than girls (e.g., take
risks, be more independent, take more initiative, etc.)

10. Variations in Creativity
Socioeconomic Status: children from higher
socioeconomic status tends to be more creative –
however more due to democratic child-training than
authoritarian training, and environmental factors /
access to resources

11. Variations in Creativity
Ordinal Position: order of birth seems to have an
impact on creativity –not because of hereditary reasons
but more because of environmental ones.
Middle, later-born and only children are likely to be
more creative than the first-born!
Typically, first-born is subjected to more pressure to
confirm to parental expectations, which encourage a
child to be a “conformer” rather than a “creator”

12. Variations in Creativity
Family Size: by and large, children form small families
tend to be more creative
In large families, authoritarian child-training controls
and less favorable socioeconomic conditions are more
likely to prevail and mitigate against the development
of creativity.

13. Variations in Creativity
Urban vs Rural: Children from urban environments
tend to be more creative.
It could be attributed, in general, to authrotarian
training beong more common in rural homes, and also
the rural environment offering less stimulation than
the large environments of cities

14. Variations in Creativity
Intelligence: at every age, brighter children show more
creativity compared to their peers.

15. Conditions that foster
creativity
Time: have low regimentation to provide for free time to play and try out things
Solitude: away from pressures imposed by the social groups
Encouragement: unconditional encouragement free from criticism and ridicule
Materials: materials to play with and stimulate experimentation and exploration
Stimulating Environment: providing the environment of encourage and support
Unpossessive Parent-Child Relationhsip: Balance between overprotective and
overpossessive
Child-training methods: Democratic and permissive child training at home and
school
Opportunities to acquire knowledge: Create opportunities to acquire the
knowledge to build the foundations for further creativity

16. Expression of Creativity in
Childhood
Animism: tendency to ascribe consciousness to inanimate objects. Begins ~2 years
and peaks ~4-5 years before rapidly disappearing as the child enters school
Dramatic Play: parallels the animistic thinking, and they accept and assign roles
and play them out. Generally tapers off while entering school, unless considered ok
in thire social groups. Mostly reproductive.
Constructive Play: When children lost interest in dramatic play, the turn to
constructive play, e.g. making things (from mud, clay, blocks, paper, etc.) and
drawing. Initially, it is mostly reproductive, and mostly solitary.
Imaginary Companions: could be a person, or animal or something a child creates
in fantasy to play the role of companion, though most tend to be of their own age
and sex, have a name and obey the child! Found more prevalent in brighter
children, but most common in timid or sensitive, etc.
Daydreaming: A form of mental play, usually called “fantasy”, it provides an escape
or defensive mechanism from unsatisfying reality, with the dreamer mostly being
the central character. It peaks around puberty.

17. Expression of Creativity in
Childhood
White Lies: a white lie is a falsehood that the person telling actually believes
in, and not the same as an adult lying. The intent is not to deceive others, but
self aggrandizement, as opposed to lied that are for self-protection.
Humor: ability to perceive something comic and to produce it, could show a
level of personal adjustment but also has a high creative quotiant
Storytelling: starts as reproductive initially, and later on become creative.
Tends to be more with those who have had imaginary companions. Is also less
prone to criticism, compared to say, drawing, this creating better social
interactions.
Aspirations for Achievement: aspirations for achievement, though unrealistic
initially, tend to help a child make personal and social adjustments, and also
limit the “impossible dreamer”
Concepts of Ideal Self: what would they rather be, their physical self-concepts
and psychological self-concepts, they provide for better social adjustment
opportunities

18. Hazards to Creativity
Failure to Stimulate Creativity
Inability to Detect Creativity in Time
Unfavorable Social Attitudes towards Creativity
Unfavorable Home Conditions
Unfavorable School Conditions
Excessive Daydreaming

19. Recap
Early childhood activities might appear to be
innocuous, or cute or sometimes even crazy to us
grownups, but they have a significant role in personal
and social development and adjustment of children.
In addition, it has a huge impact on creativity
development among children.
While there might be some hereditary influence on the
innate intelligence, the environmental factors have a
majority influence on the early development of
creativity in a child, and hence extremely important.
In next class, we will discuss the creative process.

20. References
http://brainpickings.org/2013/09/06/what-is-creativity/
http://osho.com/highlights-of-oshos-world/what-is-creativity
http://www.ted.com/topics/creativity
http://hbr.org/topic/creativity
http://www.coursera.org/learn/creativity-innovation
http://www.coursera.org/learn/ignite-creativity
http://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/creativity
http://www.coursera.org/learn/creative-problem-solving
http://www.quora.com/The-Arts-What-standards-are-used-to-determine-if-something-is-
creative-or-not-and-what-triggers-inspiration
The Sources of Creativity and Innovation, http://www.fpspi.org/pdf/innovcreativity.pdf

21. References
For a more creative brain, follow these 5 steps,
http://jamesclear.com/five-step-creative-process
It’s time to bury the idea of the Lone Genius
Innovator,
https://hbr.org/2016/04/its-time-to-bury-the-idea-of-
the-lone-genius-innovator

22. Books
Orbiting the Giant Hairball – A Corporate Fool’s
Guide to Surviving with Grace, Gordon MacKenzie
A Whack on the Side of the Head – How You Can be
More Creative, Roger Von Oech
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery
A Technique for Producing Ideas: the simple five-step
formula anyone can use to be more creative in business
& in life!, James Webb Young
Child Development – Elizabeth Hurlock