Psychological Aspects of Creativity
Gardner Murphy
The Mid-Century Creativity Reader October 27, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780197834305.003.0020 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Commentary Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that creativity is an innate human quality and examines how different educational styles encourage or inhibit creativity in various fields, drawing on his discussion of the nature of children and of creativity. |
Abstract
Abstract: Gardner Murphy was the director of research at the Menninger Foundation and author of many books on personality, social psychology, and parapsychology. Murphy served as president of both the American Psychological Association and the British Society for Psychical Research. This presentation, Psychological Aspects of Creativity, was delivered at the Cooper Union Forum in 1959. Murphy discusses the nature of children, the nature of creativity, and the educational styles that encourage or inhibit creativity in various fields. He begins his talk with an argument that creativity is an innate human quality. You can hear this presentation at https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/cs-speakers/36/.