ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 highlights Poincaré’s description of his creative experiences on the way of putting together his entry for a mathematics competition. Psychologist Wallas drew on Poincaré’s material in putting together an influential four-stage account of the creative process which, in turn, inspired a great deal of research on creativity. A look back at Poincaré’s description in the context of his life brings to the fore many of the concepts that have since emerged in psychology and so an opportunity to review some of the creativity domain’s most relevant findings. Poincaré’s description also points to ways in which his experience differed from laboratory studies and to the variety of ways the creative process may unfold.
