Why are children generally considered more creative/imaginative? Despite adults having more experiences to draw from!
I really liked this week's readings on creativity and imagination! Vygotsky offers an interesting perspective on how creativity can also be seen as an everyday and scientific concept. He says everyone uses creativity and imagination and that it is not limited to a few individuals who propose inventions and discoveries. It is in some way our ability to make connections, especially between things that are seemingly unrelated. He also says that richer the person's experiences, social interactions, richer their imagination and ability to make connections (since the elements used to be creative are often rooted in reality). However, in the society, why are children then considered as the ultimate expression of imagination and creativity in most cases? Adults definitely have more experiences, maturity and knowledge, but why then do we place limits on our imagination?

I think Vygotsky spends some time answering this question but not all. Our education system I think is partially the answer. Most often there is an element of evaluation and judgement in our education. We are expected to be in a particular way and I think that definitely limits our imagination. Vygotsky gives the example of how we expect students to write essays in a particular way, use a specific type of language and write on a topic chosen by the instructor, not the student. There is also a lot of emphasis on reason and logic, especially as we grow up. And creativity sometimes need not have a well accepted logic, especially at first glance. Moreover, I think there is a lot of pressure to perform and competition (comparisons), that it limits the freedom of thoughts/ideas, since the focus is on meeting societal standards. This is especially true in India because there are so many people and limited resources, so everyone is part of the race. Moreover, due to the British system of education, it primarily focuses on mass producing individuals who are similar to each other and suitable for the industries as workers. I am also wondering if this is why ''functional fixedness'' is higher in adults? where we are taught/trained to see specific uses of objects, while children use various objects for different purposes (especially in play)? When I look at my niece playing or drawing, it feels like she is in her own world, it almost reminds me of Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow, where she is so absorbed and happy in what she is doing, that in itself becomes rewarding.
I am still wondering what Vygotsky would have to say about flow? or even the Ah ha moment that is commonly cited in creativity literature (that happens after incubation)?

I think Vygotsky spends some time answering this question but not all. Our education system I think is partially the answer. Most often there is an element of evaluation and judgement in our education. We are expected to be in a particular way and I think that definitely limits our imagination. Vygotsky gives the example of how we expect students to write essays in a particular way, use a specific type of language and write on a topic chosen by the instructor, not the student. There is also a lot of emphasis on reason and logic, especially as we grow up. And creativity sometimes need not have a well accepted logic, especially at first glance. Moreover, I think there is a lot of pressure to perform and competition (comparisons), that it limits the freedom of thoughts/ideas, since the focus is on meeting societal standards. This is especially true in India because there are so many people and limited resources, so everyone is part of the race. Moreover, due to the British system of education, it primarily focuses on mass producing individuals who are similar to each other and suitable for the industries as workers. I am also wondering if this is why ''functional fixedness'' is higher in adults? where we are taught/trained to see specific uses of objects, while children use various objects for different purposes (especially in play)? When I look at my niece playing or drawing, it feels like she is in her own world, it almost reminds me of Csikszentmihalyi's concept of flow, where she is so absorbed and happy in what she is doing, that in itself becomes rewarding.
I am still wondering what Vygotsky would have to say about flow? or even the Ah ha moment that is commonly cited in creativity literature (that happens after incubation)?
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