Abstract

This article explores the nature of creative thinking (creativity). Creativity is defined as intellectual abilities to produce original and useful ideas or products. Analysis of the terms, 'original' and 'useful', with respect to the manner in which they are used in everyday speech leads to the statement that even ordinary people possess creativity. If this statement is accepted, how then can we explain the so-called eminent people's extraordinary achievements? A sample review of the previous research shows that this question cannot be answered in terms of intelligence, personalities, cognitive styles alone, or combination of intelligence and personalities. This finding is interpeted as a requirement to consider thinking processes as a plausible source of answer to the question. In accordance with modem human information processing models, thiking is identified with the processes involved in problem solving, The nature of cognitive processes underlying creative activities are sought for. Three models of creative processes are critically reviewed. It turned out that all of them do not completely explain the problem solving processes which are supposed to be involved in creative activities. A more complete model is described with conclusions that creative problem solving processes are, in principle, equivalent to the processess involved in other ordinary problem solving, that the difference between the two should be found in the manner and breadth of deploying the primary cognitive abilities or skills operating at each stages of problem solving processes, and that critical thinking should be considered in order to fully understand creative activities, that is, creative activities entail critical thinking.