Varieties of Transformational and Transactional Creativity

Creativity can be viewed as either a singular and largely indivisible psychological characteristic, or rather as divisible into various types. This chapter argues that it is important to view it multiply, as divisible into types. There is a variety of typologies, described in the chapter, but one of special relevance in today’s world is that between transactional and transformational creativity. Transactional creativity is tit-for-tat. It is based on exchange. One is creative in exchange for a reward. Transformational creativity seeks to make the world a better place. Both transactional and transformational creativity have false (pseudo-) varieties that appear genuinely to be transactional or transformational but are not. The chapter discusses the genuine as well as the false types of transactional and transformational creativity.