Developing Creative Thinking

Chapter 8: Thinking

DID YOU KNOW?

• The potential for creative thinking is in all of us.

• Creativity can be reflected in activities likewriting, teaching, cooking, story telling, acting, playing games or trying to solve day to day problems.

• 2 types of thinking :-

Convergent Divergent Thinking Thinking(narrowing down (Open minded thinking;a problem to find individual thinks ofthe one probable various answers to solution) a single question as per

his/her experience)

Developing creative thinking –the barriers faced

& the strategies used

1) Developing Creative Thinking

Hereditary/Genetic Factors

Environmental & Cultural

Factors

Slump in creative thinking - India

Untapped creative minds in the deprived sections of society

Practice (& training) makes a man perfect

1) Developing Creative Thinking

“SomeFacts”

Step 1: Identify inhibiting factors

• Categorize blocks to creative thinking

Step 2: Make conscious attempts to overcome them

• Apply strategies

1) Developing Creative Thinking

2) Barriers to Creative Thinking

Blocks

Habitual

Perceptual

Motivational & Emotional

Cultural

2) Barriers to Creative Thinking

• HABITUAL BLOCKS

Tendency to be over-powered by habits, in the ways of thinking, leads to downfall of creative expression.

We become so used to seeing & perceiving things, and thinking about them in one such manner, that thinking in authentic ways becomes a chore.

2) Barriers to Creative Thinking

• PERCEPTUAL BLOCKS

They prevent us from being open to novel and original ideas.

Barriers are basically derived from assumptionssuch as “no other solutions exist”, “this is the only alternative” etc.

2) Barriers to Creative Thinking

• MOTIVATIONAL & EMOTIONAL BLOCKS

These blocks actually prove that thinking is just not a cognitive process.

When a person lacks motivation or is over-whelmed/effusive with emotions, he/she fails to apply creative thinking. Examples include – fear of ridicule/rejection, negative assumptions about oneself, an “I can’t do it” feeling.

2) Barriers to Creative Thinking

• CULTURAL BLOCKS

Allowing the traditions, societal expectations or stereotypes to have excessive control on oneself gives rise to a cultural block.

Cultural blocks arise due to the fear of being different, the tendency to maintain status etc.

Strategies for Creative Thinking

Become more aware & sensitive to feelings, sights, sounds & textures around you.

Cultivate habit of wider reading; develop habit of asking questions

Generate as many ideas as possible for a particular problem; think of alternatives; NEVER accept the 1st idea; let more come & then select the best

Brainstorming – let your mind think freely and let the ideas come; DO NOT start evaluating their worth already

Practise making unusual associations & analogies. Let the conflicting thoughts co-exist. Dwell in ambiguity; let your ideas stay in mind for a while, you may come up with something enlightening

Indulge in activities which bring forward your originality & get feedback from outsiders i.e. those not involved

Try to predict events and analyse what change they might bring; in case of failure, COPE WITH IT; be self-confident & positive