CREATIVITY ACROSS CULTURES TODD I. LUBART

Jingya Huang, Danielle Latta, Katie McCarney

Topics To Be Covered

Creativity Across Cultures

Todd I. Lubart Defining Culture Conceptions of Creativity Cultural Variation in Creative Process Culture as a Channel for Creativity

Forms and Domains of Creativity Social Structure and Creativity Culture, Language, and Creativity

Nurturance of Creativity Discussion Questions

Todd I. Lubart

Professor of Psychology at the Université Paris Descartes, and Member of the Institut Universiatire de France.

Ph.D. from Yale University and was an invited professor at the Paris School of Management (ESCP).

His research focuses on creativity, its identification and development in children and adults, the role of emotions, the creative process and intercultural issues.

Co-founder of the International Centre for Innovation in Education (ICIE), and the Associate Editor of Gifted and Talented International.

Source: (http://icieworld.net/istanbul/)

Source: enfants-haut-potentiel.com

What is Culture?

The Definition of Culture

“A shared system of cognitions, behaviors, customs, values, rules, and symbols concerning

the manner in which a set of people interact with their social and physical environment,”

(Sternberg 339). Characteristics of culture:

learned and socially transmitted from generation to generation

identified at the societal level, following geographic boundaries

can be further categorized to subcultures within it dynamic and change over time.

Conceptions of Creativity

Cultural Definitions of Creativity

Novel and appropriate “…its relationship to an

observable product (Hughes & Drew, 1984),” (Sternberg, 339)

Amabile: creativity of a product is to a large extent a social judgment

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

“a state of personal fulfillment, a connection to a primordial realm, or the expression of an inner essence or ultimate reality (Chu, 1970; Kuo, 1996; Mathur, 1982),” (340)

Krippner & Arons Hinduism: spiritual or religious

expression rather than an innovative solution to a problem “To create is to imitate the

spiritual,” (Hallman, 340)

Western Eastern

ProductProcess,

Reinterpretation of Traditional

Creation Myth - Conception of Creativity Link

Linear movement toward a new point

Judeo-Christian: Book of Genesis - observable progress

“…an insightful production achieved by an individual engaged in a working process with a finite beginning and end (Mason, 1988; Wonder & Blake, 1992),” (Sternberg, 341)

Sinclair: “an ongoing process – a developing, an unfolding”

Development and progress toward realization of the nature of the universe

Circular movement in the sense of successive reconfigurations of an initial totality

Western Eastern

Modern views of creativity seem to echo cultural creation myths and may derive from them (341)

Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking

Product-oriented, originality-based definition

Relatively simple verbal and figural tasks that involve divergent thinking plus other problem-solving skills

Scored for fluidity, flexibility, originality, elaboration

Flaws in different cultures

Source: willpower4life.com

Connection: Cross-Cultural Differences in Advertising

Western Eastern

Source: nikibrown.com

Source: adsoftheworld.com

Cultural Variation in the Creative Process

The Creative Process

The Process Model Preparation Incubation Illumination Verification

The Process Model Preparatory Internal

Identification Insight Communication of

Realizations

WesternWallas’ Four-Stage Model

EasternModel Based on Yoga Sutras

Vishvakarma

God of architecture and engineering

Vishvakarma Puja Hindu

celebration

Source: www.dhimansamaj.com/lordvishwakarma.php

Forms and Domains of Creativity Social Structure and Creativity

Culture, Language, and Creativity

Culture as a Channel for Creativity

Culture as a Channel

Source: nitinvartak.com

Forms & Domains of Creativity Instances of selectivity for creativity Topic’s role in the maintenance of

cultural patterns affects degree of creative permissiveness “The more serious the art form…the less

the permitted change,” (Ludwig) Within culturally selected domain,

expression of creativity may be further specified

Connection: Cultural Restrictions in Advertising

Source: http://www.danwei.org/advertising_and_marketing/leo_burnett_apologises_for_sli.php

Connection: Cultural Restrictions in Advertising

Source:http://heidihan.com/post/Share-an-interesting-article-about-How-the-Culture-differences-affect-marketing.aspx

Social Structure and Creativity

Cultures can restrict creativity based on social structure

Omaha Indian culture Bali Kaluli of Papua New Guinea

Gender-based differences on the quantity or quality of creative work

Culture, Language, and Creativity

Language shapes thought (Whorf, 1956) Language structures categories and

expresses a culture’s understanding of the world (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980)

Positive link between bilingualism and creativity Suggests that language as an integral part

of culture may restrict the ways that people can creatively conceive of a problem

Connection: Left-Handedness & Creativity

The Nurturance of Creativity

Culture’s Influence on Level of Creative Activity

“Culture may influence the overall level of creative activity. Creativity may be stimulated or hindered by cultural features such as worldview and the value placed on

conformity or tradition,” (Sternberg 345)

Worldview – the culture’s conception of the nature of the world and people’s role in the world

Collectivist vs. Individualist cultures Beliefs and Values Conformity and Tradition Other Influential Characteristics

Conclusion

“A given culture, may contain some elements that foster creativity and

others that stifle it, yielding an overall influence that may be

positive, negative, or neutral. Also, cultural features may not operate to

the same extent in all domains of endeavor,” (Sternberg 346)

Discussion Questions