Nature and Sources of Creativity

“The progress of civilisation is essentially attributable to creativecreative thinking” (Kemple and Nissenberg, Early Childhood Education Journal, 2000, p. 67). The frameworkframework within which the creative capacitycapacity proper to the humanhuman species is nowadays read is decidedly “positive”: it is very rare to come across “negative” readings, if not in a generally ironic sense (linked to “creative interpretations” of laws, morals, responsibilityresponsibility, etc.). Yet, this was not always the case. In this chapter, I will focus on the reconstruction of a historical-culturalcultural framework that has also seen the socialsocial prestige of this energyenergy change considerably, after which I will look at its theoretical categorizations, its practicalpractical and symbolicsymbol operational dynamicsdynamics, and its relationshiprelationship with intelligenceintelligence. This introductory framework will allow us to enter more consciously into the specific investigation of this volume, namely the in-depth study of the social dimensions of this individualindividual and collective capacity. The author of this volume is a sociologist of culturalcultural processes: the structural perspective therefore, with regard to both authors of reference and research methodology, is sociological. He wanted, however, to attempt the impervious and sometimes slippery road of “disciplinarydisciplinary contamination” for several reasons: (a) creativitycreativity, like all humanhuman realities and perhaps to a greater extent, overflows every disciplinary embankment; (b) to really learn something about creativity, it is necessary to come to terms with as many disciplines as possible that involve or have been involved by it and acknowledge that some (in this case, psychologypsychology) possess an investigative history of incomparable depth; (c) the fertile ground of creativity (we shall see) is curiositycuriosity: as children are well aware, curiosity and a receptive mindmind will push ajar many doors behind which can be glimpsed concepts, noveltiesnovelty, ideasidea for which our eyes and minds are not yet equipped. It is a riskrisk worth taking.