The Evolving Systems Approach to Creativity

THE EVOLVING SYSTEMS APPROACH TO CREATIVITY Introduction  The evolving systems approach to the case study method focuses on understanding creativity through three guiding ideas: uniqueness, multidirectional developmental change, and viewing the creative person as an evolving system.  Uniqueness of the Creative Person: Creative individuals are unique, making it difficult to reduce psychological descriptions to a fixed set of dimensions. It challenges efforts to generalize about all creative people.  Multidirectional Developmental Change: Developmental change in creative individuals is not unilinear and predictable but occurs through multicausal and reciprocally interactive relationships. Each case of creativity is unique.  The Creative Person as an Evolving System: Creative individuals are viewed as evolving systems, and their development is unpredictable. Predicting the next creative work is challenging, emphasizing the uniqueness of each creative journey. Creativity as a Unique, Temporal, and Challenging Process  Duration and Purpose: Creative work involves novelty, value, purpose, and duration. Duration highlights that creative work takes place over an extended period, often spanning months, years, or even decades.  Challenges in Creativity: Creative work is challenging because it involves making ideas compatible with human purposes and societal norms. While a creative idea may start as wild, it must eventually connect with a community's beliefs for it to be effective.  Social Engagement in Creativity: Even those ahead of their time need some community with which to engage and connect. The social dimension plays a crucial role in creativity, even if the creative person isolates themselves in specific aspects of their work. Methodological Approach to Creativity Study  Epistemic Considerations: Methodological choices in creativity research are not purely methodological; they involve deeply held convictions about knowledge and truth.  Two-Part Approach: Rather than seeking to predict and control creativity, this approach involves two parts: detailed analytic and sometimes narrative description of each case and efforts to understand each case as a unique functioning system.  Not Seeking Origins or a Single Model: The goal is not to find the origins of creativity or a single model of the creative personality. Instead, it aims to understand how creative work functions and what individuals do when being creative. Creativity Criteria: Novelty, Value, Purpose, and Duration  Definition of Creativity: Creativity includes novelty, value, purpose, and duration. Novelty means the creative product is new and valuable according to external criteria. Purposeful behavior and the extended duration of creative work are also integral.  Inherent Difficulty: Creative work is inherently difficult, as it involves producing something new and valuable while adhering to human purposes and societal norms.  Unpredictability and Contingency: Creativity cannot be entirely predicted. However, with hindsight and foresight, some contingent predictions about creative outcomes can be made. Historical Overview of Creativity Research  Psychometric and Factor Analytical Approaches: In 1950, Guilford's address to the American Psychological Association marked the rejuvenation of creativity research. He focused on component abilities and factor analysis, particularly "divergent thinking."  Challenges in Divergent Thinking: Divergent thinking, as a measure of creativity, has faced challenges in explaining highly creative individuals and their processes.  Making Use of Divergent Thinking: A critical question is how creative individuals effectively utilize their ability for divergent thinking in their creative processes. Conclusion  The evolving systems approach to creativity highlights the uniqueness of creative individuals, the multidirectional and unpredictable nature of their development, and the creative person as an evolving system.  This approach challenges traditional psychometric methods and emphasizes the need to study each creative case as unique and temporally extended, focusing on the creative process itself.