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Creativity in adolescence.
1Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Hospital, Massachusetts.
The Psychiatric Clinics of North America
|September 1, 1990
Summary
Adolescence is the key period for developing creative capacity, driven by identity formation and psychological conflicts. This period fosters essential cognitive processes like janusian and homospatial thinking, crucial for lifelong creativity.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Creativity, defined as producing novel and valuable outputs, is crucial for human development.
- Previous understanding suggested creativity's roots in early childhood, but empirical evidence was limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically assess the developmental period of creative capacity.
- To identify the cognitive processes and motivational factors underlying creativity.
Main Methods:
- Controlled experimental assessments of creativity.
- Analysis of developmental tasks and psychological conflicts during adolescence.
Main Results:
- Creative capacity and motivation primarily emerge during adolescence.
- Two key cognitive processes, janusian (simultaneous opposition) and homospatial (mental image superposition), develop in adolescence.
- Adolescent developmental tasks (identity, autonomy, Oedipal conflicts) are significant motivational drivers for creativity.
Conclusions:
- Adolescence is the critical period for the onset of creative capacity and motivation.
- The janusian and homospatial cognitive processes are foundational for lifelong creative ability.
- Understanding adolescent psychology is key to fostering creative development.