Defying the Crowd: Cultivating Creativity in a Culture of Conformity

Abstract

The author presents a . . . picture of the creative process from the inception of an idea to its ultimate success. . . . With . . . examples from business, education, politics, and the arts, Sternberg reveals the intuitive method the creative person employs to predict early on which ideas and products will gain popularity and how that person promotes his or her ideas effectively despite initial resistance. Sternberg examines the ways in which such institutions as business and education consistently seek to squelch creative ideas and how the creative person typically finds ways to subvert those institutions to promote his or her ideas. Most importantly, Sternberg explores paths we can all take to become more creative as he shows how institutions can learn to foster creativity.