Psychology of Culture

The nature of creativity in craft: Insights from Easter egg decoration

by Vlad Glaveanu

Forthcoming in International Journal of Creativity & Human Development

The present article explores the nature of creativity in craft and does so with the help of a case study of... more The present article explores the nature of creativity in craft and does so with the help of a case study of traditional Easter egg decoration. It starts by positioning the domain of folk art in relation to fine art and within a larger category of everyday life forms of creative expression. Then a cultural psychology approach to creativity is introduced and its framework used to unpack the actors and processes involved in craftwork. Analysing what is characteristic for folk art uses these particular lenses and requires paying attention to externalisation, integration, internalisation, and social interaction aspects. Findings reveal fundamental features of craft such as its materiality, the presence of a strong traditional background, the importance of continuous learning, and the role of family and community relations. Towards the end connections are made with the existing literature and final reflections offered on whether the characteristics above say something about creativity more generally, beyond the context of craft.

Key words: folk art, Easter eggs, everyday life, cultural psychology.

Hong Kong Dreaming: Thoughts on Chungking Express

by Luisetta Mudie

Watching Chungking Express now is like time travel. ...this bedragoned city sheds its skin every few years. Leave it... more Watching Chungking Express now is like time travel. ...this bedragoned city sheds its skin every few years. Leave it for a couple of years, and not only have your carefully mapped buildings and your favourite alley, skywalk, escalator routes through the city all been demolished, the actual topography has changed.

Thinking Outside the Box of Individualism: Creativity in Light of a Socio-Cultural Approach

by Vlad Glaveanu

Editorial for the November 2008 issue of Europe's Journal of Psychology

How Are We Creative Together? Comparing Sociocognitive and Sociocultural Answers

by Vlad Glaveanu

Forthcoming in Theory & Psychology, 2010, 21(4);
pre-review copy available

The present article aims to distinguish between a sociocognitive and a sociocultural approach to forms of ‘collective’... more The present article aims to distinguish between a sociocognitive and a sociocultural approach to forms of ‘collective’ creativity. While the first is well-illustrated in studies of group or team creativity the second has generally supported investigations of collaborative creativity, most of them performed in the last few decades. The comparison between these two fields takes different levels into account, from the epistemological position adopted to issues concerning the theories and methods used. Special attention is given to reviewing models of creativity from each perspective. While the literature on group creativity contains several cognitive models, there is little work yet towards building a model for collaborative creativity. This is why a secondary aim of this material is to introduce and discuss a sociocultural framework: the Shared Representational Resources Model. In the end the similarities and differences between the two paradigms are examined with reference to both theory and research and arguments are given for why it would be beneficial for sociocognitivists and socioculturalists to engage in a more consistent dialogue.

Key-words: group creativity, social psychology, social cognition.

Children and Creativity: A Most (Un)likely Pair?

by Vlad Glaveanu

Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2011, online view available

This article addresses the question of whether children are or are not creative by exploring the assumptions... more This article addresses the question of whether children are or are not creative by exploring the assumptions underlying each possible answer. It is argued that our position regarding children’s creativity steams from larger systems of representation concerning children on the one hand, and creativity on the other. Arguments for and against the idea that children can be creative are then considered from four different perspectives: the product, process, person and press factor. On the whole, children’s creativity is accounted for in terms of a particular ‘reading’ of children as active and interactive beings and of creativity as a social and cultural phenomenon. In contrast, children’s lack of creative expression is linked with a passive and receptive image of the child and with theorising creativity through the lenses of the genius and of great creations. In the end, the benefits of acknowledging children’s creativity are considered for child and developmental psychology, for creativity research and for educational practices.

Key-words: children, creativity, culture, development

Creativity as Cultural Participation

by Vlad Glaveanu

Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 2011, 41(1), 48-67

The present article discusses creativity as a simultaneously individual and socio-cultural process and argues for a... more The present article discusses creativity as a simultaneously individual and socio-cultural process and argues for a social and systemic understanding of this phenomenon. Relying on a vision of the individual mind as social and of human culture as an open and dynamic system, this perspective emphasises the fact that the creator - audience - creation triad can only exist and function in a socio-cultural setting described by social relations and accumulated cultural artefacts. Each facet of this complex relationship is analysed in detail: a) creative externalisations as examples of cultural expression, b) socialisation or integration of the new artefact in existing cultural systems, c) internalisation as a form of enculturation, and d) the explicit and implicit connections between “creator” and “audience” in every creative act. In light of these, both the generation and reception of creative new artefacts is conceptualised as an important form of cultural participation. In the end conclusions are drawn about the vital role cultural resources play for all forms of creative activity and creativity, in its turn, plays for the existence and transformation of human culture.

Key words: creativity; culture; creator; audience; externalisation; internalisation; systemic model

Principles for a Cultural Psychology of Creativity

by Vlad Glaveanu

Culture & Psychology, 2010, 16(2), 147-163.

Principles for a Cultural Psychology of Creativity published in Culture & Psychology, was the most downloaded article in 2010 in this journal (of all articles published in 2009 and 2010). The article can be downloaded free of charge from think link: http://cap.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/16/2/147?ijkey=eXGMacE/xNm4c&keytype=ref&siteid=spcap&utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1J22

Abstract. The cultural-psychological approach views creativity as a process of artefact generation. Five broad... more Abstract. The cultural-psychological approach views creativity as a process of artefact generation. Five broad principles for a cultural psychology of creativity are presented. In clarifying the nature of creativity a special consideration is given to the relationship between individuals, creativity, and culture. In the end, the role of the community in fostering and assessing creativity is suggested as a more realistic solution to the individual-society debate.

Key-words: creativity, context, culture, ecological research, community

Paradigms in the study of creativity: Introducing the perspective of cultural psychology

by Vlad Glaveanu

New Ideas in Psychology, 2010, 28(1), 79-93

This article identifies three paradigms in creativity theory and research in psychology. The He-paradigm, focused on... more This article identifies three paradigms in creativity theory and research in psychology. The He-paradigm, focused on the solitary genius, has been followed, mainly after the 1950s, by the I-paradigm, equally individualistic in nature but attributing creativity to each and every individual. Extending this view, the We-paradigm incorporates what became known as the social psychology of creativity. The cultural psychology of creativity builds upon this last theoretical approach while being critical of some of its assumptions. This relatively new perspective, using the conceptual and methodological framework of cultural psychology, investigates the sociocultural roots and dynamics of all our creative acts and employs a tetradic framework of self – community – new artifact – existing artifacts in its conceptualization of creativity. The theoretical basis of the cultural psychology approach is analyzed as well as some of its main implications for both the understanding and study of creativity.

Keywords: He I and We-paradigms; Social psychology of creativity; Cultural psychology of creativity; Vygotskian approach; Potential space; Dialogicality; Symbolic resources

Psychological classification codes: 2900 Social Processes & Social Issues; 2930 Culture & Ethnology; 3000 Social Psychology; 3500 Educational Psychology; 3575 Gifted & Talented

Article Outline
1. Three paradigms of creativity theory and research
1.1. The He-paradigm: the lone genius
1.2. The I-paradigm: the creative person
1.3. The We-paradigm: towards a social psychology of creativity
2. The emergence of a cultural psychology of creativity
2.1. Creativity and cultural psychology
2.2. A cultural psychology framework for creativity and its implications
2.2.1. Definition and theoretical framework
2.2.2. Relevance and implications of the cultural psychology framework
3. Concluding remarks about the future of the We-paradigm
Acknowledgements
References

The Shaping of New Testament Narrative and Salvation Teachings by Painful Childhood Experience

by Benjamin Abelow

Archive for the Psychology of Religion 33 (2011) 1-54

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This article considers the influence of childhood corporal punishment, abandonment, and neglect on the development and... more This article considers the influence of childhood corporal punishment, abandonment, and neglect on the development and reception of seminal New Testament teachings. Two related but distinct propositions are argued. First, that widespread patterns of painful childhood experience provided a thematic template that deeply shaped the New Testament during its formative period. Second, that this thematic shaping has contributed, on an individual level, to subjective experiences of faith and, on a cultural level, to the initial spread and subsequent persistence of Christianity. The approach is interdisciplinary, drawing on religious texts, historical evidence about the treatment of children, and several areas of psychology. The article ends with an exploratory excursus intended to stimulate thought about possible childhood influences in non-Christian religions and myths; the traditions considered are Judaism and Islam, the religious-philosophic system of karmic reincarnation that is foundational to Hinduism and Buddhism, and a Greek mythic text associated with the historically important Eleusinian mystery religion.

A Perspective on Unifying Culture and Psychology: Some Philosophical and Scientific Issues

by Roland Tharp

published in (2007) Journal of Philosophical and Theoretical Psychology

A perspective on unifying culture and psychology is presented. Following a brief overview of the history of... more A perspective on unifying culture and psychology is presented. Following a brief overview of the history of universalist perspectives (especially Clark Wissler's), the current lack of unification is considered. Some necessary presuppositions are proposed for a unifying perspective, which are then pursued through the concepts and texts of the philosopher John Searle, particularly his concept of Background. Culture may be seen as a pattern of Background. How Background cultural patterns arise constitutes the major question challenging any unifying perspective. An example of how the question can be addressed is proposed, (following Vygotsky) by an articulation of the four levels of causation, phylogenesis, ethnogenesis, ontogenesis, and microgenesis. Finally, an empirical study of cross-cultural differences understood within this unifying perspective is described.

Catherine Lutz, La Dépression Est-Elle Universelle?. Préface De Vinciane Despret. Paris, Les Empêcheurs De Penser En Rond, 2004, 122 P.

by Samuel Lézé

review in french

Creativity, Culture Contact, and Diversity

by Alfonso Montuori

Co-authored with Hilary Stephenson World Futures, 66: 266–285, 2010

Recent trends in the understanding of culture contact, with concepts such as
 hybridization, cosmopolitanism, and... more Recent trends in the understanding of culture contact, with concepts such as
 hybridization, cosmopolitanism, and cultural innovation, open up the possibility
 of a new understanding of human interaction. While the social imaginary is rich 
with images of conflict resulting from culture contact, images of creativity are 
far rarer. We propose the creation of an extensive research project to document
 cultural creativity, starting with obvious examples in the arts, and expanding into
all areas of life in order to counteract the present conflictual images and develop
a social imaginary with positive “attractor” images that can guide to greater
 creativity.

Noises in the City Graffittis in the City of Londrina - Approaches...

by Joao Batista Martins

with Irineu Jun Yabushita - Athenea Digital - num. 9: 19-45 (primavera 2006)

This inquiry is a reflection on the graffiti, understanding it as one social practice that allows the citizens... more This inquiry is a reflection on the graffiti, understanding it as one social practice that allows the citizens attribute new senses for the urban spaces. The graffiters, when leaving yours signatures – “tags” – in the walls of the city, transforms the public space into private space, for after, transforms them into public, now modified. We made an analysis of marks left for two groups of graffiters in the center of the city of Londrina – Brazil. We observe that these marks interact with each other, establishing a net of senses. The city is transformed into a support where the people (in groups or individually) exercise the construction of yours identities through the establishment of the differences (within the dispute between groups and/or individual for the public) or in the overcoming of disputes ("by adding to the existing graffitis"). The graffiters, when inscribing yours "tags" in the urban universe, modifies the identity of the city, reconfiguring its landscape.

Reflections on the possibilities and challenges of scientific production in psychology.

by Joao Batista Martins

with PALMIERI, Marilícia Witzler Antunes Ribeiro  - Psicologia em Estudo, vol.13, n.4, pp. 743-752, 2008

Psychology scientific production indicates the existence of methodological and epistemological controversies. The... more Psychology scientific production indicates the existence of methodological and epistemological controversies. The emergency of new epistemological perspectives requires a discussion on the possibilities and the challenges of the knowledge construction process. Discussion ranges from the acknowledgement of subjectivity in the process of scientific investigation, which, in fact, underpins the overcoming of dichotomical trends in the understanding of Psi phenomena, and subverts the positivist organization of thought. Since new ways for knowledge building are suggested, new concepts are provided as subjectivity factors. The researcher's labor becomes closer to that of the bricoleur's. Implications in knowledge production are acknowledged and tension fields are created that facilitate a new understanding of the world. The process of knowledge construction organizes and assures a more complex glance on Psi phenomena.

Contribuições da psicanálise para a formação de professores

by Joao Batista Martins

Revista Iberoamericana de Educación, n.º 48/5 – 25 de febrero de 2009

Este trabalho tem como objetivo estabelecer algumas contribuições da psicanálise para a formação de professores.... more Este trabalho tem como objetivo estabelecer algumas contribuições da psicanálise para a formação de professores. Entendendo que o processo de formação do professor está relacionado com um processo de vir-a-ser, e que os envolvidos no processo educativo - professores e estudantes - estabelecem uma relação marcada pela transferência e contra-transferência, onde desejos são depositados, vemos a necessidade de se pensar um processo de formação de professores, onde os envolvidos participem tanto de atividades que os levem a se apropriarem dos conhecimentos teóricos e práticos relativos à profissão, como em atividades que os remetam para uma reflexão acerca de suas experiências educacionais, aos sentidos que eles atribuem à profissão de educador, ou seja, ao vivido e suas vicissitudes. Considerando que as escolhas profissionais são marcadas também por processos inconscientes, cabe aos promotores dos cursos de formação proporcionarem aos seus estudantes em formação (inicial e/ou contínua) espaços de reflexão sobre suas escolhas, de tal forma que possam ter clareza quanto aos motivos que os levaram a escolher a profissão de professor. As escolhas sempre trazem em, si mesmas, algo de opaco: sentidos que, à medida que se caracterizam como conteúdos inconscientes, não são percebidos pelos indivíduos em situação de escolha. Entendemos que tais situações propiciam aos futuros professores certa disponibilidade para o "outro", para a diferença, para a heterogeneidade, o que asseguraria prática pedagógica pautada no respeito e na convivência, no múltiplo e no pluri assegurando uma com-vivência escolar no espírito da democracia.

The Educational Process in Chico Bento's Stories: Representations About Education in the Brazilian Rural Universe

by Joao Batista Martins

with Cintia Weber Biazi - Athenea Digital - núm. 17: 179-205 (marzo 2010)

In this work we use Cultural Studies to identify and understand the representations that are transmitted about the... more In this work we use Cultural Studies to identify and understand the representations that are transmitted about the educational process in Chico Bento's stories - a character of a comic strip in Brazil. He is a personage who lives in the Brazilian rural zone and was created by Maurício de Sousa. The trajectory of this work included an ethnography of the magazines about Chico Bento, characterizing the rural universe where he lives, focusing on the educational practices and especially his school
experiences. Since the delimitation of that universe, it was possible to analyze in which ways Chico Bento's creators articulate the relationship between scientific knowledge x popular knowledge, emphasizing the pedagogic practices of the teacher, Miss Marocas.

Shakespeare's Celtic Imaginary

by Dianne Hunter

20th International Literature & Psychology Conference paper, University of Greenwich, London, UK (2003)

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM synthesizes disparate source materials and intertexts into dramatic and metatheatrical... more A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM synthesizes disparate source materials and intertexts into dramatic and metatheatrical transformations of oral fusion and primal scene fantasies. These fantasies underlie and motivate the hierarchical structure of Shakespeare's patriarchal world and threaten its stability. The play enacts these fantasies in shape-shifting fullness while containing them within a dramatic form that both collapses and maintains Elizabethan hierarchy. The play's multiple staging of scenes involving porous boundaries effects a style of subversive conservatism. By transmitting the unseen in visible form, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM alchemically brings suppressed Celtic imagination into dynamic harmony with an early modern linguistic and social sensibility. The Celtic imaginary in the play parallels what psychoanalysis calls the infantile unconscious. Occulted power transforms and deconstructs the violent heterosexual yoking comprising patriarchal dominance.

Cross-cultural encounter as an opportunity for personal growth

by Alfonso Montuori

Montuori, A., & Fahim, U. (2004). Cross-cultural encounter as an opportunity for personal growth. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. 44, 2, 243-263.

Cross-cultural encounters can provide an excellent opportunity for
personal growth by placing us in situations... more Cross-cultural encounters can provide an excellent opportunity for
personal growth by placing us in situations where our understanding
of self and world, and of how we believe things “are” or “should
be,” is severely challenged. In this article, the authors argue that in
the United States, the cultural dimension is often overlooked in our
understanding of personal growth because U.S. individualism
obscures the role of culture in the constitution of the self and that
understanding this dimension makes a vital contribution to selfunderstanding.
They also view cross-cultural encounters as potentially
creative and draw on the psychology of creativity to explore
the implications of this view. The authors conclude by arguing that
to have the greatest effect, humanistic psychology must both return
to its roots in existential-phenomenological psychology and philosophy
and tackle its own understanding of the self as a culturally
situated phenomenon.

The Shadow Knows: The Counter-Fantasy of the American Antihero and Symbolic Divergence In Golden Age Radio

by Shaun Treat

Zombie Trouble: A Propaedeutic on Ideological Subjectification and the Unconscious

by Shaun Treat