Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention by M. Csikszentmihalyi Summary by David E. Goldberg University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Text Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Creativity: Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: HarperCollins. Was professor of psychology at University of Chicago. Now at Claremont College.

Creativity Too Big a Term Three senses: –Those who express unusual thoughts. –Those who experience world in novel ways. –Those who have changed culture in some important respect. Two other terms: “talent” and “genius.”

Process Videotaped interviews with 91 exceptional individuals Make a difference to culture and >60 years old. 275 contacts. 1/3 declined, 1/3 accepted, 1/3 did not respond 14 Nobel prizes. Rejections as interesting. Too good to be true?

Creative Process Where is creativity? The creative personality The work of creativity The flow of creativity Creative surroundings

Systems Model of Big C Creativity 3 elements: –Domain: symbolic rules and procedures. –Field: individuals who are gatekeepers to the domain. –Person: the creative one. Creativity defined: Creativity is any act, idea, or product that changes an existing domain, or that transforms an existing domain into a new one.

Consequences of the Theory Not a personal theory. Domain+Field+Person important. Must know the domain. Must take place in extant domain-field. Depends upon environment: Renaissance example. Surplus of time bought by wealth as necessary.

Domains Help or Hinder? 3 Dimensions: –Clarity of structure –Centrality within culture –Accessibility For example, Clarity: youth in preeminence.

Field as Filter Art example: 500,000 artists. How much art becomes part of culture. Competition among memes is fierce. Incompetent fields taking over domains: Lysenko example, Church and Galileo.

Person Individual contribution as both under- and overrated. Luck as a factor. Must internalize the system.

Creative Personality Genetic predisposition doesn’t hurt. Curiosity, wonder, and interest. Access to a domain. Access to a field: Bottlenecks. Complexity as key.

10 Dimensions of Creative Complexity 1.Physical energy versus quiet at rest 2.Smart and naïve 3.Disciplined and playful. 4.Fantasy versus reality. 5.Extroversion versus Introversion 6.Humble and proud 7.Masculine and feminine. 8.Conservative and rebellious 9.Objective and passionate. 10.Suffering and enjoyment

Work of Creativity Extended Wallas framework: preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation, elaboration Emergence of problems. Sources: personal, domain requirements, social pressures. Presented versus discovered problems Incubation as the mysterious time.

Theories of Incubation Freudian: pursuit of acceptable versus unacceptable sexual desire. Cognitive theories: associative and parallel processing. Field, domain, and unconscious thought: Need to take stand against received wisdom.

The Flow of Creativity The joy of invention. Flow experience: –Clear goals –Immediate feedback –Balance between challenge and skills –Actions and awareness merged. –Extractions excluded –No worry of failure. –Self-consciousness disappears. –Distortion of time –Activity feeds on itself (autotelic).

Pleasure in the Right Things Flow and complexity. Aristotle’s definition of the good. Living a life of intricate complexity. Richness of variety.

Creative Surroundings Place matters. Pager experiments: Most creative when walking, driving, or swimming. Semiautomatic state. Complex sensory stimuli as diversion. Rhythm: patterns of work can be important.