Assessing Creativity Sternberg’s Way

On a little break from dissertation writing, I chose to read something on creativity research. I know, “You call this a break?” Much too serious? *smile*

I’m reading Robert Sternberg’s (2012) article on The Assessment of Creativity: The Investment-Based Approach (IBA). He like Tharp (2005), writes that “[c]reativity is a habit” (Sternberg, 2006a, 2006b; Tharp, 2005), “an attitude toward life” (Maslow, 1967; Schank, 1988; Sternberg, 2003b).

He writes about some habitual practices (p. 3) of creative people that have been reported previously.

Creative people regularly do a few things:
(a) look for ways to see problems that other people don’t look for
(b) take risks that other people are afraid to take
(c) have the courage to defy the crowd and to stand up for their own beliefs, and
(d) seek to overcome obstacles and challenges to their views that other people give in to, among other things (Sternberg & Lubart, 1995b, 1995c; see also Kaufman & Sternberg, 2006, 2010; Sternberg, 1999; Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2007).

He provides examples of how creativity may be assessed using his IBA to creativity. Interesting certainly, but what intrigued me in the article was also this sentence: “Motivation is not something inherent in a person: One decides to be motivated by one thing or another” (p. 6). This disrupts the traditional perception that motivation may be intrinsic. Sternberg is suggesting that motivation is an intentional way of thinking. The question is, does one always consciously think about and decide what will provide the impetus for one to act?

Some break from dissertation writing.