Creativity

A mental process that allows an individual or group to create original ideas and new associations from existing ideas or concepts. The products of creative thinking (known sometimes as divergent thinking) are usually original and appropriate. Even if it looks like a simple phenomenon, it is in fact quite complex. It has been studied from the perspective of behavior psychology, social psychology, psychometrics, cognitive science, philosophy, history, economy, design research, business, and management, among others. The studies have covered daily creativity, exceptional creativity, and even artificial creativity. Unlike various phenomena in science, there is no unique and authorized perspective or definition of creativity. Unlike various psychological phenomena, there is no standardized measurement technique. Creativity has been attributed to divine inspiration, cognitive processes, social environment, personality characteristics, and luck (“accident”, “chance”). It has been associated with temper, mental diseases, and humor. Some say that it is a characteristic with which we are born, others say that it can be learned with the application of easy techniques. Even though it is usually associated with art and literature, it is also an essential part of innovation and invention, and it is important in professions such as management, economics, architecture, industrial design, science, and engineering. Even, or maybe due to, the ambiguity and multidimensional nature of creativity, entire industries have been developed starting from the search for creative ideas and the development of creative techniques. This mysterious phenomenon, even if undoubtedly important and constantly visible, seems to be temptingly not accessible for the majority of people.