The potential roadblocks to creativity are perceptual blocks, cultural blocks, and emotional blocks.
Perceptual blocks include such factors as the failure to use all the senses in observing, failure to investigate the obvious, difficulty in seeing remote relationships, and failure to distinguish between cause and effect.
Perceptual blocks include such factors as the failure to use all the senses in observing, failure to investigate the obvious, difficulty in seeing remote relationships, and failure to distinguish between cause and effect.
Cultural blocks include a desire to conform to established norms, overemphasis on competition or conflict avoidance and smoothing, the drive to be practical and narrowly economical above all else, and a belief that indulging in fantasy or other forms of open-ended exploration is a waste of time.
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Emotional blocks include the fear of making a mistake, fear and distrust of others, grabbing the first idea that comes along, and the like.
Techniques for fostering the development of new ideas using the lateral thinking method.
The reversal technique involves examining a problem by turning it completely around, inside out, or upside down. The analogy technique involves developing a statement about similarities among objects, persons, and situations. The cross-fertilization technique involves asking experts from other fields to view the problem and suggest methods for solving it form their own areas of expertise.