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Defying the Crowd: Simple Solutions to the Most Common Relationship Problems
World renowned psychologist Robert Sternberg presents a fresh and compelling picture of the creative process from the inception of an idea to its ultimate success. With illuminating examples, Sternberg reveals the paths we all can take to become more creative and shows how institutions can learn to foster creativity.
“What is creative is new and often brings about positive change. But what is new is also strange, and what is strange can be scary, even threatening—which is why ‘they’ don’t want to hear it. But they are unwise not to listen, for the creative person with original ideas is the one who, with support, will advance and improve the milieu to the benefit of all.” —from Defying the Crowd
“What is creative is new and often brings about positive change. But what is new is also strange, and what is strange can be scary, even threatening—which is why ‘they’ don’t want to hear it. But they are unwise not to listen, for the creative person with original ideas is the one who, with support, will advance and improve the milieu to the benefit of all.” —from Defying the Crowd
- GenresPsychologyNonfiction
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
4 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Robert J. Sternberg
305 books187 followersRobert J. Sternberg's spectacular research career in psychology had a rather inauspicious beginning. In elementary school he performed poorly on IQ tests, and his teachers' actions conveyed their low expectations for his future progress. Everything changed when his fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Alexa, saw that he had potential and challenged him to do better. With her encouragement, he became a high-achieving student, eventually graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University. In a gesture of gratitude, Dr. Sternberg dedicated his book, Successful Intelligence to Mrs. Alexa.
Dr. Sternberg's personal experiences with intelligence testing in elementary school lead him to create his own intelligence test for a 7 th grade science project. He happened to find the Stanford-Binet scales in the local library, and with unintentional impertinence, began administering the test to his classmates; his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities (STOMA) appeared shortly thereafter. In subsequent years he distinguished himself in many domains of psychology, having published influential theories relating to intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, love and hate.
Dr. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of (Successful) Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular sociocultural contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information. Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting. To be successful in life the individual must make the best use of his or her analytical, creative and practical strengths, while at the same time compensating for weaknesses in any of these areas. This might involve working on improving weak areas to become better adapted to the needs of a particular environment, or choosing to work in an environment that values the individual's particular strengths. For example, a person with highly developed analytical and practical abilities, but with less well-developed creative abilities, might choose to work in a field that values technical expertise but does not require a great deal of imaginative thinking. Conversely, if the chosen career does value creative abilities, the individual can use his or her analytical strengths to come up with strategies for improving this weakness. Thus, a central feature of the triarchic theory of successful intelligence is adaptability-both within the individual and within the individual's sociocultural context.
Dr. Sternberg's personal experiences with intelligence testing in elementary school lead him to create his own intelligence test for a 7 th grade science project. He happened to find the Stanford-Binet scales in the local library, and with unintentional impertinence, began administering the test to his classmates; his own test, the Sternberg Test of Mental Abilities (STOMA) appeared shortly thereafter. In subsequent years he distinguished himself in many domains of psychology, having published influential theories relating to intelligence, creativity, wisdom, thinking styles, love and hate.
Dr. Sternberg's Triarchic Theory of (Successful) Intelligence contends that intelligent behavior arises from a balance between analytical, creative and practical abilities, and that these abilities function collectively to allow individuals to achieve success within particular sociocultural contexts. Analytical abilities enable the individual to evaluate, analyze, compare and contrast information. Creative abilities generate invention, discovery, and other creative endeavors. Practical abilities tie everything together by allowing individuals to apply what they have learned in the appropriate setting. To be successful in life the individual must make the best use of his or her analytical, creative and practical strengths, while at the same time compensating for weaknesses in any of these areas. This might involve working on improving weak areas to become better adapted to the needs of a particular environment, or choosing to work in an environment that values the individual's particular strengths. For example, a person with highly developed analytical and practical abilities, but with less well-developed creative abilities, might choose to work in a field that values technical expertise but does not require a great deal of imaginative thinking. Conversely, if the chosen career does value creative abilities, the individual can use his or her analytical strengths to come up with strategies for improving this weakness. Thus, a central feature of the triarchic theory of successful intelligence is adaptability-both within the individual and within the individual's sociocultural context.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
February 20, 2008
My notes and quotes:
Book written for the general public describing research that has been done on creativity as well as what factors are necessary for it to occur. Begins with describing factors that determine creative ability and expression: intelligence, knowledge, motivation, environment, personality, and thinking styles. States that defining creativity is very difficult because it is so subjective; in other words, creativity is a product of its environment.
Authors also believe that creativity is greatly undervalued in our society, despite the general statements of teachers, businesses, etc. They go into how standardized testing is overvalued and only measures a very specific kind of intelligence; in other words, they do not measure creativity in any way. They then go into many actual tests that exist to test creativity with many examples in the book.
They begin to describe creativity through an investment metaphor: buy low and sell high. When people are creative they are essentially buying an idea low when they are the only ones who believe in it and eventually selling it high when it finally catches on. Consequently, there is much risk involved with being creative. Authors go into what is necessary in order to buy low and sell high and how it takes more than just creative ideas, but also the ability to follow through on them with marketing, perseverance, etc. They then go into the role of intelligence in creativity, such as the ability to redefine a problem in different terms. This can also be described as how easy it is for a person to change conventions (e.g. they are told 2+2=3).
Then goes into how knowledge of a subject is necessary in order to be creative, but how moderate amount of knowledge is best because too much knowledge inhibits creative thinking. They go into the different thinking styles and how they relate to creativity (e.g. legislative, executive, & judicial).
They go in depth on how all the types and combinations of mental self government affect creativity. They then describe the role of personality in creativity. Specifically, characteristics such as perseverance, sensible risk taking, willingness to grow, tolerance of ambiguity, openness to experiences, and belief in yourself and in your convictions.
Lastly, they describe the necessary motivations required to be creative. Although intrinsic motivation is desirable, it is not always necessary, and much creative work has been done under the influence of both internal and external influences. The environment can influence creativity as well, with some people flourishing best under a supportive environment, while others seem to be most creative in the face of adversity and obstacles.
The overall message of the book is that creativity is a multifaceted construct that requires a number of factors in order to flourish.
Book written for the general public describing research that has been done on creativity as well as what factors are necessary for it to occur. Begins with describing factors that determine creative ability and expression: intelligence, knowledge, motivation, environment, personality, and thinking styles. States that defining creativity is very difficult because it is so subjective; in other words, creativity is a product of its environment.
Authors also believe that creativity is greatly undervalued in our society, despite the general statements of teachers, businesses, etc. They go into how standardized testing is overvalued and only measures a very specific kind of intelligence; in other words, they do not measure creativity in any way. They then go into many actual tests that exist to test creativity with many examples in the book.
They begin to describe creativity through an investment metaphor: buy low and sell high. When people are creative they are essentially buying an idea low when they are the only ones who believe in it and eventually selling it high when it finally catches on. Consequently, there is much risk involved with being creative. Authors go into what is necessary in order to buy low and sell high and how it takes more than just creative ideas, but also the ability to follow through on them with marketing, perseverance, etc. They then go into the role of intelligence in creativity, such as the ability to redefine a problem in different terms. This can also be described as how easy it is for a person to change conventions (e.g. they are told 2+2=3).
Then goes into how knowledge of a subject is necessary in order to be creative, but how moderate amount of knowledge is best because too much knowledge inhibits creative thinking. They go into the different thinking styles and how they relate to creativity (e.g. legislative, executive, & judicial).
They go in depth on how all the types and combinations of mental self government affect creativity. They then describe the role of personality in creativity. Specifically, characteristics such as perseverance, sensible risk taking, willingness to grow, tolerance of ambiguity, openness to experiences, and belief in yourself and in your convictions.
Lastly, they describe the necessary motivations required to be creative. Although intrinsic motivation is desirable, it is not always necessary, and much creative work has been done under the influence of both internal and external influences. The environment can influence creativity as well, with some people flourishing best under a supportive environment, while others seem to be most creative in the face of adversity and obstacles.
The overall message of the book is that creativity is a multifaceted construct that requires a number of factors in order to flourish.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2020
How does one cultivate creativity? This is a problem I have wrestled with in reading dozens of books on the subject. One of the authors of this book at least is an expert on creativity, and if this book gets a few things wrong (such as its judgments on Galileo and why he was brought before the Inquisition), and if the book also regurgitates some of previous works I have read by one of the authors, there is a lot that is valuable here. The authors affirm that all people have the capacity for creativity in at least some ways and situations and that this capacity for creativity is seldom realized to the extent possible because it is not encouraged. Enough people are smart enough to realize that their creativity is not welcome that they simply don't exercise it, leaving only those too stubborn to choke off their creativity to resist the pull of the crowd. And generally speaking, if you are going the way of the crowd, you can be sure that it is the wrong way to be going in the first place.
This book is about 300 pages long and divided into eleven chapters. After a preface, the authors discuss the nature of creativity by examining questions of intelligence, knowledge, thinking styles, personality, motivation, and environmental context (1). After that the authors discuss what creativity is and who needs it (2). The author discusses the investment approach to creativity by which one buys low by supporting unpopular opinions and then sells high when they achieve greater popularity and moving on to more obscure areas to work on (3). The authors discuss the implications of this view of creativity (4) in requiring skill in recognizing the right unpopular ideas to support and the persistence and courage to deal with that unpopularity. The next few chapters then discuss the role of intelligence (5), knowledge (7), personality (8), motivation (9), and the environment (10) to creativity, sometimes rehashing earlier work and discussing the differences, for example, between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as the tolerance to ambiguity and the willingness to grow and matters of creativity as they relate to different types of business organizations. After all of this the authors include a chapter that seeks to put it all together in discussing about the creative spirit and its implications (11) before the book closes with an epilogue, references, and an index.
The aspects of intelligence that the author talks about are numerous. The author appears to hold a multi-factor view of intelligence, which is connected to a multi-factor view of creativity. The author also, unsurprisingly, discusses his multi-factor view of love (in which he talks about his own tendency to get in a rut when it comes to creating three-sided conceptual models, as he did in his book on love). The end result is a book that reminds all of us that we resist change even if we happen to be creative in some aspects, and helps us as a result to be more understanding to others who may be suspicious of our own creativity. In looking at defying the crowd, the authors' encouragement to all of us to overcome ourselves and our own tendencies to resist change and to squelch the creativity of others is advice that should be well heeded. Those who read this book and appreciate it are going to view themselves as being creative people and outside of the normal herd anyway, so it is vital that people examine themselves and keep themselves from being the enemy of the creative potential of other people in their lives as they have the power to do so.
This book is about 300 pages long and divided into eleven chapters. After a preface, the authors discuss the nature of creativity by examining questions of intelligence, knowledge, thinking styles, personality, motivation, and environmental context (1). After that the authors discuss what creativity is and who needs it (2). The author discusses the investment approach to creativity by which one buys low by supporting unpopular opinions and then sells high when they achieve greater popularity and moving on to more obscure areas to work on (3). The authors discuss the implications of this view of creativity (4) in requiring skill in recognizing the right unpopular ideas to support and the persistence and courage to deal with that unpopularity. The next few chapters then discuss the role of intelligence (5), knowledge (7), personality (8), motivation (9), and the environment (10) to creativity, sometimes rehashing earlier work and discussing the differences, for example, between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as well as the tolerance to ambiguity and the willingness to grow and matters of creativity as they relate to different types of business organizations. After all of this the authors include a chapter that seeks to put it all together in discussing about the creative spirit and its implications (11) before the book closes with an epilogue, references, and an index.
The aspects of intelligence that the author talks about are numerous. The author appears to hold a multi-factor view of intelligence, which is connected to a multi-factor view of creativity. The author also, unsurprisingly, discusses his multi-factor view of love (in which he talks about his own tendency to get in a rut when it comes to creating three-sided conceptual models, as he did in his book on love). The end result is a book that reminds all of us that we resist change even if we happen to be creative in some aspects, and helps us as a result to be more understanding to others who may be suspicious of our own creativity. In looking at defying the crowd, the authors' encouragement to all of us to overcome ourselves and our own tendencies to resist change and to squelch the creativity of others is advice that should be well heeded. Those who read this book and appreciate it are going to view themselves as being creative people and outside of the normal herd anyway, so it is vital that people examine themselves and keep themselves from being the enemy of the creative potential of other people in their lives as they have the power to do so.
January 5, 2009
A great deal of useful information here. And if you are at all interested in the subject of Creativity this is a good read. That having been said, this book is best digested in small portions, dipping into it when, where, and how you choose. I think this book would have been much better without the discussion of financial investment which leads the discussion and is used as an extended metaphor throughout the book. Suffice it to say that creative people tend to be more comfortable with risk taking than those who are not. If you want to read a better discussion of art and economics, read Dave Hickey's book, Air Guitar: Essays on Art and Democracy . Hickey won a MacArthur Genius Fellowship for his work.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews