Integrated Constraints in Creativity: A Roadmap

Semester

Semester 2, 2021-2022

Type of course

Theory-oriented Workshops

Date

June 29, 2022

Location

Utrecht University - Janskerkhof 15A (Room 003)

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Duration

1 day

Maximum number of participants

30

ECTS

0.5 EC will be appointed for participation in the complete course

Staff

Dr. Eric Rietzschel (RUG), Dr. Diana Rus (RUG) and Dr. Catrinel Tromp (Rider University, USA)

Content, learning goals, preparation

In an era when creativity and innovation are a priority across diverse domains, such as business, health, and education, the role of constraints in creative thought and behavior is a key area of study. Recognizing the importance of the topic from both theoretic and applied perspectives, I will first review the extant research, which has spanned a range of domains and empirical approaches. Then, grounded in the literature synthesis and using a multidisciplinary lens, I will outline a recent Integrated Constraints in Creativity (IConIC) model (Tromp, 2022), and I will identify some of the outstanding research questions that should be addressed in future studies. Workshop participants will be encouraged to contribute their own ideas, formulated either as broad topics of inquiry or as specific hypotheses, for how to best elucidate the complex role of constraints in creativity and innovation.

 

Literature 

Haught-Tromp, C. (2016). Facilitating creative thinking in the 21st century: When constraints help. In D. Ambrose & R. J. Sternberg (Eds.), Creative Intelligence in the 21st Century, pp. 107–117. Rotterdam, NL: Sense Publishers.

Haught-Tromp, C. (2017). The Green Eggs and Ham Hypothesis: How Constraints Facilitate Creativity. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 11(1), 10-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/aca0000061 

Haught-Tromp, C. (2022). Integrated Constraints in Creativity: Foundations for a Unifying Model. Review of General Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/10892680211060027