The role of creativity in science : a portrait of a creative scientist

Abstract

The study tackled the role of creativity in the world of scientific investigation and how creativity can contribute towards new discoveries in the science sector. Creativity can be defined as the psychological development concerning the breakthrough of new ideas and concepts, or new alliance of existing ideas or concepts, triggered by the progression of either conscious or unconscious insight. Some researchers consider creativity as a trait that we are born with. Others consider creativity as that which can be taught with the application of simple techniques, such as creative tools or methods. Creativity within science is a compound idea with diverse interpretations. Industry is undergoing continuous pressure to introduce new ideas and to develop and experiment new concepts. This research endeavoured to give a picture of the involvement of creativity in science and its role during scientific research. The topic of creativity was important for this research because it revealed why certain aspects in scientific activities happen and how they emerge. Creativity was a key feature in this research to show and identify how scientists consider and view this same aspect in their subject and to identify those factors that trigger creativity in the world of scientific investigation. During this study, science established the context for creativity and the attempt to identify that particular image or portrait of a creative scientist. An objective of the research was to recognize why and how creativity and science interrelate with each other to uncover the representation/s of a creative scientist. The findings of this study continued on previous work of other researchers in the area of creativity and medical science. This investigation revealed that persons considered creative are not only found in visual arts like for instance art, poetry or drama. Creative individuals can be found in other fields like the medical science. Another interesting aspect that emerged from this study is that creativity is an open field and it can be related to various other fields like science. Creativity simply needs to be unleashed.