 | ||
|
| |    Where Does Creativity Come From? by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. One thing that sets humans apart from other animals is the intensity of the human drive to create new and different things. While other creatures may come up with novel solutions to solve problems, humans are unique in actively going out to create problems solely for the pleasure of solving them! Developmental psychologists often talk about something called "mastery motivation." I think of this as being an instinct--an inborn drive, like the drive to eat or sleep--that compels people to want to take control of their surroundings. Jean Piaget, the famous psychologist who is generally regarded as the father of the study of babies and thinking, did a wonderfully simple experiment to demonstrate mastery motivation: He tied a string between his baby daughter's big toe and a mobile over her bed so that when she moved her foot, the mobile moved. His daughter was entranced and delighted. (By the way, it's only safe to try this if you stay right there with your baby--otherwise there's a very real strangulation danger.) What this experiment demonstrates is that even in early infancy, people are strongly motivated to control the things around them and to discover new connections (toe-mobile, toe-mobile...AHA!). This drive leads young babies to try out all sorts of interesting things: What happens when I bang on this pot? What happens when I toss my bottle from the highchair? If I stomp around in the mud, then walk on the nice, clean pavement, what patterns can I make? Creativity growing up It's not too hard to draw a connection between this early explosion of creative energy that fuels so many preschoolers and the later, more controlled outpouring of creativity that drives inventors to invent and artists to paint or sculpt. (An inventor might say that she was "just messing around with some ideas," harkening back to a time when the messes were indeed messes!) Other forces also drive creativity, of course. Children are very responsive to both praise and criticism from the important people in their lives--parents, mostly. So when parents give honest praise for creative efforts, children keep creating. In addition, children tend to model behavior after the adults and other children they're around, so watching a parent play the piano, for instance, might be an important spur to a child's creativity.
| |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| About Us |
Contact Us |
Our Partners Privacy Policy | Ethics | Advertising Policy | Terms of Service © Copyright 2004 The Dr. Spock Company. All Rights Reserved. THIS SITE DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. The information drSpock.com
provides is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for
professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your health care
professional if you have a specific health concern. Mention or advertisement
of any product, service, or brand does not constitute endorsement, guarantee,
or recommendation by The Dr. Spock Company. Please read our full
Terms of Service. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
