Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Political Examples of a Dark Side of Creativity and the Impact on Education

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Creativity Under Duress in Education?

Part of the book series: Creativity Theory and Action in Education ((CTAE,volume 3))

Abstract

This chapter explores the impact of politics on creativity. It begins by distinguishing creative potential from creative achievement. Creative potential is the ideal target for the educational system. The problem is that, although there are reliable indicators and predictors of creative potential, there is always uncertainty with a prediction. Political decisions often concern how to invest resources, and predictions may be seen as risky investments. Education for creative potential requires tolerance (e.g., risk tolerance, tolerance of ambiguity) and a long-term perspective. In addition, creative potential may take some time to mature to the point that it leads to creative action, but political decisions are often focused on short-run outcomes. Yet it is the investment in potential that will eventually lead to the greatest impact on the largest number of students, and then on society. Also explored in this chapter is the important role of tolerance, which is related to creativity in various ways but is anathema in the current political climate of the USA. Under discussion is how conservative thinking is typically contrary to creativity and how creativity benefits from various kinds of openness. “Spin” and the reliance on alternative facts, so common in politics, are symptomatic of the dark side of creativity. Educational implications are noted throughout.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abacarian, R. (2018). The right to say awful stuff: The laws governing free speech are unequivocal. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://enewspaper.latimes.com/infinity/latimes/default.aspx?pubid=50435180-e58e-48b5-8e...5/

  • Amabile, T. M. (1982). Children’s artistic creativity: Detrimental effects of competition in a field setting. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 8, 573–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basadur, M. (1994). Managing the creative process in organizations. In M. A. Runco (Ed.), Problem solving, problem finding, and creativity (pp. 237–268). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.

    Google Scholar 

  • Basadur, M., Runco, M. A., & Vega, L. A. (2000). Understanding how creative thinking skills, attitudes, and behaviors work together: A causal process model. Journal of Creative Behavior, 34, 77–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Besemer, S. P., & O’Quin, K. (1999). Confirming the three-factor creative product analysis matrix model in an American sample. Creativity Research Journal, 12, 287–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feist, G. J., & Barron, F. X. (2003). Predicting creativity from early to late adulthood: Intellect, potential and personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 62–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Florida, R. (2004). The Rise of the creative class: And how it’s transforming work, leisure, community and everyday life. New York, NY: Basic books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garfield, E. (2006). The history and meaning of the journal impact factor. Journal of the American Medical Association, 295(1), 90–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haste, H. (1993). Moral creativity and education for citizenship. Creativity Research Journal, 6, 153–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hefling, K. (2017, October 8). DeVos champions online charter schools, but the results are poor. Politico. https://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/08/education-betsy-devos-online-charter-schools-poor-results-243556

  • Helson, R. (1987). Which of those women with creative potential became creative? In R. Hogan & W. H. Jones (Eds.), Perspectives in personality, 2 (pp. 51–92). Greenwich, CT: JAI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holland, J. L. (1961). Creative and academic achievement among talented adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 52, 136–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huber, J. C. (1998). Invention and inventivity is a random, poisson process: A potential guide to analysis of general creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 11, 231–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K. H. (2011). The creativity crisis: The decrease in creative thinking scores on the Torrance tests of creative thinking. Creativity Research Journal, 23, 285–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, S., Cheung, P. C., Lubart, T., Tong, T. M. Y., & Chu, D. H. W. (2013). Bicultural effects on the creative potential of Chinese and French children. Creativity Research Journal, 25, 109–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lindauer, M. S. (1992). Creativity in aging artists: Contributions from the humanities to the psychology of old age. Creativity Research Journal, 5(3), 211–231.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCann, S. (2011). Conservatism, openness, and creativity: Patents granted to residents of American states. Creativity Research Journal, 23, 339–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLaren, R. B. (1993). The dark side of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 6, 137–144. https://doi.org/10.1080/10400419309534472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfattheicher, S., & Schindler, S. (2016). Misperceiving bullshit as profound is associated with favorable views of Cruz, Rubio, Trump and Conservatism. PLoS One, 11(4), e0153419. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0153419

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rothenberg, A. (1990). Creativity, mental health, and alcoholism. Creativity Research Journal, 3, 179–201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubenson, D. L., & Runco, M. A. (1992). The psychoeconomic approach to creativity. New Ideas in Psychology, 10, 131–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (1989). The creativity of children’s art. Child Study Journal, 19, 177–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (2014). Creativity: Theories and themes: Research, development, and practice (Rev ed.). San Diego, CA: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (2016). Overview of developmental perspectives on creativity and the realization of potential. In B. Barbot (Ed.), Perspectives on creativity development. New directions for child and adolescent development, 151 (pp. 97–109). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass

    Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (2017a). Active ethical leadership, giftedness, and creativity. Roeper Review, 39, 242–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2017.1362618

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A. (Ed.). (2017b). Major works on creativity and education. London, UK: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A., & Jaeger, G. (2012). The standard definition of creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 24, 92–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A., Acar, S., Campbell, W. K., Jaeger, G., McCain, J., & Gentile, B. (2016). Comparisons of the creative class and regional creativity with perceptions of community support and community barriers. Business Creativity and the Creative Economy, 2, 83–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Runco, M. A., Acar, S., & Cayirdag, N. A. (2017). Closer look at the creativity gap and why students are less creative at school than outside of school. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 24, 242–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rushton, P., Murray, H. G., & Paunonen, S. V. (1983). Personality, research creativity, and teaching effectiveness. In R. S. Albert (Ed.), Genius and eminence (pp. 281–301). Oxford, UK: Pergamon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Simonton, D. K. (2012). Taking the U.S. Patent office criteria seriously: A quantitative three-criterion creativity definition and its implications. Creativity Research Journal, 24, 96–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sternberg, R. J. (2017). ACCEL [Active Concerned Citizenship and Ethical Leadership]: A new model for identifying the gifted. Roeper Review, 39, 152–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/02783193.2017.1318658

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walczyk, J. J., Runco, M. A., Tripp, S. M., & Smith, C. E. (2006). The creativity of lying: Divergent thinking and ideational correlates of the resolution of social dilemmas. Creativity Research Journal, 20, 328–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wallach, M. A., & Wing, C. W., Jr. (1969). The talent student: A validation of the creativity intelligence distinction. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. American Institute of Behavioral Research & Technology, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Mark A. Runco

Authors
  1. Mark A. Runco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark A. Runco .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Blacksburg Campus, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Carol A. Mullen

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Runco, M.A. (2019). Political Examples of a Dark Side of Creativity and the Impact on Education. In: Mullen, C.A. (eds) Creativity Under Duress in Education?. Creativity Theory and Action in Education, vol 3. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90272-2_21

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90272-2_21

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-90271-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-90272-2

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation