ABSTRACT
It is a common misconception to believe creativity is difficult to define or that there is no agreed-upon definition. In truth, many researchers, over several hundreds of years, have given extensive thought to the key components of creativity. Historically, these components include: novelty – the product or idea must be original, rare, or statistically infrequent; usefulness or appropriateness – the product or idea must have value to either meet a need or solve a problem; and social context or environment – the novelty and usefulness of the product or idea is established by the surrounding social context, environment, or discipline. This leads to a consensus that creativity is defined as a product or idea that is novel (or original, unique, or unusual) and useful (or has value, or fit, or is appropriate) within a social context.
