Creativity Methods

A Technique for Producing Ideas – by James Web Young (1940) Gathering raw materials - the specific and the general Working over the materials in the mind The incubation stage, latency time - subconsciousness is synthesizing the information The birth of the idea The final shaping and development of the idea

Composition Theory by Arthur Koestler also called The Act of Creation (of new ideas) based on bisociation as an opposite or contrast to (word) association

Lateral Thinking by Edward de Bono based on horizontal thinking horizontal thinking should break the firm construction of vertical thinking

Lateral Thinking Vertical thinking classical selective steps continue one after another analytical sequential may use negation logical uses categories and classifications follows the most likely paths, the most probable direction finite process with conclusion Horizontal thinking unconventional creative, generative seeks new ways provocative can make jumps breaks all bans illogical disturbing elements are welcome explores the least likely prefers the most improbable way original ideas never ending process, probabilistic

Synectics - William J. Gordon Program to train creative thinking Takes the idea from one context and place it into another Uses metaphors and analogy Associative Based on metaphor Direct analogy Personal analogy - personified analogy Compressed conflict - collision of contradictions