ABSTRACT
This chapter examines theories of creativity that focus on the individual—the creative person. For the clusters of theorists, it presents how each theory of creativity fits into a broader perspective of thinking about human thought and behavior. Psychoanalytic theorists consider human behavior to be determined primarily through the interaction of conscious and unconscious drives. Humanist theorists view creativity as the culmination of well-adjusted mental development. The chapter also examines theories that treat creativity as part of intelligence or as comprising many of the same components as intelligence. Individuals use creative processes internally as they transform incoming social and cultural messages into a mind and personality. They also use creative processes externally to communicate new ideas and symbols, building and changing the culture around them. Motivation, culture, and timing are among the factors that can be used to explain why some individuals make creative contributions to the world around us.
