Eureka! Creativity Research Then and Now

This chapter examines the origins and growth of creativity as a research topic in a variety of disciplines which, until recently, was a neglected area of research. A number of factors have contributed to the neglect of creativity as a research topic. One of them is the belief that creativity is a mystical phenomenon or spiritual process that does not fit with academic scrutiny. The early twentieth century schools of psychology such as structuralism, functionalism and behaviourism ignored creativity; while populist creativity ‘experts’ promoted creative thinking without substantiation. However, there are now journals devoted to creativity research such as the Journal of Creative Behavior and the Creativity Research Journal, as well as innovation-related publications such as the International Journal of Innovation Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. There is a lack of agreement regarding the location of creativity (in an individual, as a product or as a process) but there is acknowledgement that it occurs on different levels such as the personal (P-Creativity), the historical/societal (H-Creativity), the organisational (O-Creativity) and even animal creativity (A-Creativity).