The key issue on the basis of which the system for diagnosing creativity should be built is what we understand by creativity, creative abilities and the person’s universal creative potential.
It is extremely broad and precise definition of nature, essence and structure of creativity, it allows to build an objective foundation of research, which can be transformed into a congruent system of principles, rules, techniques and diagnostic actions.
It is necessary to initially affirm the understanding of creativity as an universal, cosmic force and phenomenon, as a form of true existence and manifestation of a unique individuality.
This approach to creativity allows us to combine the scientific and descriptive methods of its study and raise the problem of creating an integral, multilevel research method that has a hidden heuristic potential.
The construction of such method can be a catalyst for the discovery of new knowledge about objective reality, the quintessence of which is creative processes, and serve as the basis for a new methodological-gnoseological breakthrough. At the same time, the creation of a perfect method, not just adapts to reality, but introduces new knowledge about it and, in fact, creates a new, more real reality.
So, in creativity, which is a pure, qualitatively higher reality, the concepts of test methodic, game, training, activation method and the process of productive creativity often coincide, become a unified flow of activity that can be interpreted and used depending on the tasks assigned.
In this case, the study of creativity should be conducted in situations that are as close to real life and nature of the work, in which, in solving specific creative problems, the subject is given complete freedom of action and full access to necessary information.
Methods for the study of creativity should predict the creative achievements and the life success of the individual in all spheres of human activity with maximum accuracy.
In this regard, the system of creative tests should measure some pervasive, pure creative essence, as well as its carrier, embodying the unity of spirituality, creative stance, creative abilities, qualities and traits, as well as creative style of thinking and activity.
Universal creative, spiritual and cultural potential of the individual is a multi-level personal system, reflecting the totality of unlimited internal and external human possibilities.
As its key dynamic manifestation, there is a Creative Vision of the individual, which is understood as the unity of Stance, State and Method.
It is the Creative Vision that is the fundamental, initial, integrating and generating origin that engenders the fullness and variety of the creative personality manifestations, and the entire unity of its creative structures and processes.
1. The problem of a narrow understanding of the essence and nature of creativity.
2. The problem of the measurement of particular characteristics of the creative personality, some fragmentary conditions, prerequisites and manifestations of creativity, lack of understanding of the its initial, integrating and generating phenomenon.
3. The problem of the creative stance and attitude, and the level of personal understanding of value and the universal nature of creativity, awareness of own true creative "self" and unlimited possibilities.
4. The problem of a person's State during the tests, the ability to achieve Creative inspiration.
5. The problem of ownership of the creative method, as a multi-level system of creative techniques, aimed both at a skilful practical life problem solving, and on stimulating own creative activity and inducing higher creative states.
6. The problem of actual measured qualities and abilities and potential capabilities of the individual.
7. The problem of distinguishing acquired skills and natural abilities, awareness and innate skills, level of competence and natural talent.
8. The problem of the level of familiarity with the test, the experience of passing and the ability to perform the test.
Creativity as a manifestation of the spiritual, cultural and creative potential of the individual can be explored with the help of a special, currently constructed psychodiagnostic toolkit.
The study of creativity is placed in a series with the study of the cultural- creative and spiritual potential of a man, his worldview, aesthetic ideals and universal creative essence.
A deepening understanding of the essence of creativity requires the creation of new research methods. Thus all attempts to penetrate the essence of this infinitely rich phenomenon stimulate the creative development of the theory and practice of psychodiagnostics.
Now there is an urgent need to create a new, multilevel and poly-stage method for studying creativity that opens up the possibility of a complex, systematic and interdisciplinary research, as well as the disclosure of the universal, pure essence of creativity that permeates all spheres of personal activity.
Research on Creative Vision of the personality as a unity of Stance, State and Method.
1.1. Creative Stance. Attitude, values and motivational structure of the individual, as well as the place of independent value of "creativity" in this structure.
Thus it is known, that employees of the company, who consider themselves to be creative are more productive and show higher creative results.
1.2. Creative States - being in the flow of creative inspiration. The ability to consciously turn on and induce higher states of consciousness.
The success of creative activity is directly related to the emotional state, the ability to enter the state of creative inspiration, with the special self-activation methods and techniques, including self-hypnosis.
Thus, the ability to artificially enter the highest state of consciousness, into a state of creative inspiration, can be regarded as a component of the creative potential of the individual and can serve as an object of independent research
1.3. Individual creative Method, a system of creative techniques.
Creative techniques can be used on a conscious level, as well as in the form of submerged in the subconscious, automated modes of action.
1. Ability to balance and complement the opposites and overcome them by generating novelty and increasing values.
2. Ability to potentiate reality - create and use new opportunities.
3. Mastering the methods and techniques of stereotypes destruction and going beyond situations and cognitive matrices.
4. Ability to see the world holistically, to possess techniques to perceive and create the completed integrities.
5. Mastering the methods of combining and reconciling of different content areas and matrices.
H. E. Tryk (1968) identified four areas of research on creativity, based on various theoretical approaches to creativity, looking at it from: a) product; b) process; c) capacity or aptitude; d) personality traits.
At the same time, creativity is rooted in culture, human practice, social world, textual reality and in the unique existential experience.
Creativity is not so much a process, ability, product or a specially organized environment, as a universal principle, a multidimensional dynamic space, a self-sufficient generating primordial essence, manifested in phenomenal worlds in the form of productive activity, effective problem solving, creative dialogue, free self-realization, as well as integrating and permeating process of meaningfulness.
Table. Creativity manifistations in phenomenal worlds
| Symbolic World Process Creative Thinking |
Social World Press Creative Dialogue |
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| Culture Values, meanings, senses Sence-creation |
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| Objective World Product Creative Activity |
Inner World Personality Self-actualisation |
Thus, the problem of researching creativity in phenomenal worlds boils down to the search and creation of an integral, interrelated system of methods that measure such manifestations of creativity as:
1. Productive creative activity (Product).
2. Creative thinking and problem solving (Process).
3. Creative dialogue (Press).
4. Creative personality traits and characteristics of his/her self-realization (Personality).
5. Sense-creation (Sense, Meaning).
