Creativity 101

...Full of keen and illuminating insight...Written with creative flair and great elegance."

Robert Olen Butler
Author, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
Winner of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction

...Witty, charming, and informative...Creativity 101 makes a convincing case for the importance of creativity in society, in our schools, and in our daily lives....And no, we aren't related."

Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD
Author, The Psychology of Creative Writing

[An] excellent primer or review of what is out there in terms of research, definitions, theoretical considerations, and leading thinkers in the world of creativity."--Gifted and Talented International

What is creativity and how can we measure it? Creativity 101 serves as a brief, engaging introduction to the field of creativity. Dr. Kaufman presents the cutting-edge research and analyzes new and emerging theories in the field. This book investigates the many definitions of creativity, as well as how it is manifested and measured in schools, the workplace, business, art, media, and more.

Key Topics Discussed:

• The "Four Ps" of creativity: person, product, process, and press
• How creativity influences personality, motivation, intelligence, and talent
• The dark side of creativity: the remarkable relationship between creativity and mental illness
• Emerging directions in creativity research, with discussions on neuroscience, the media, and literature

The Psych 101 Series

Short, reader-friendly introductions to cutting-edge topics in psychology. With key concepts, controversial topics, and fascinating accounts of up-to-the-minute research, The Psych 101 Series is a valuable resource for all students of psychology and anyone interested in the field."

James C. Kaufman is a Professor at the California State University at San Bernardino, where he is also the director of the Learning Research Institute. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in Cognitive Psychology, where his mentor was Robert J. Sternberg. Kaufman has authored more than 200 papers and written or edited 24 books, including the recent International Handbook of Creativity (with Sternberg; Cambridge, 2006), and Creativity and Reason in Cognitive Development (with Baer; Cambridge, 2006). Kaufman was a founding co-editor of the official journal for APA's Division 10, Psychology, Aesthetics, and the Arts. He is currently the editor of APA's Psychology of Popular Media Culture.  He received the 2003 Daniel E. Berlyne Award from Division 10 of the American Psychological Association for outstanding research by a junior scholar, and has served as a Member at Large for Division 10.