Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Harper Collins, Oct 13, 2009 - Psychology - 480 pages

The classic study of the creative process from the bestselling author of Flow

Creativity is about capturing those moments that make life worth living. Legendary psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (“The leading researcher into ‘flow states.’”  — Newsweek) reveals what leads to these moments—be it the excitement of the artist at the easel or the scientist in the lab—so that this knowledge can be used to enrich people's lives. Drawing on nearly one hundred interviews with exceptional people, from biologists and physicists, to politicians and business leaders, to poets and artists, as well as his thirty years of research on the subject, Csikszentmihalyi uses his famous flow theory to explore the creative process. He discusses such ideas as why creative individuals are often seen as selfish and arrogant, and why the "tortured genius" is largely a myth. Most important, he explains why creativity needs to be cultivated and is necessary for the future of our country, if not the world.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - jasoncomely - LibraryThing

Csikszentmihalyi is known for defining flow but "Creativity" is a much better book. I made several failed attempts to read "Flow" and it was too meandering, philosophical and impractical to stick with it. This book, on the other hand, is more practical and profound. Highly recommended.

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - AJBraithwaite - LibraryThing

An interesting approach to the analysis of creativity: looking at the lives of creative people and identifying similarities (and in some cases, differences) between them. Csikszentmihalyi also comes ...

Contents

• Where Is Creativity?: 23
• The Creative Personality: 51
• PART II: 130
• The Early Years: 151
• The Later Years 183: 211
• DOMAINS OF CREATIVITY: 237
• The Domain of Life: 265
• The Domain of the Future: 291
• The Making of Culture: 317
• Enhancing Personal Creativity: 343
• Appendix A Brief Biographical Sketches of the Respondents: 373
• Interview Protocol Used in the Study: 393
• References: 429

About the author

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is a professor at Claremont Graduate University and former chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of Chicago. His previous books include The Evolving Self and the national bestseller Flow.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and; Harper Perennial Modern Classics
• Author: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2009
• ISBN: 0061844039, 9780061844034
• Length: 480 pages
• Subjects: Body, Mind & Spirit / General; Psychology / Creative Ability; Psychology / General