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12 - Domain-Specific Talent Development

from Part III - Modes of Enhancement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2021

By
John Baer
Edited by
Sandra W. Russ ,
Jessica D. Hoffmann  and
James C. Kaufman
Sandra W. Russ
Affiliation:
Case Western Reserve University, Ohio
Jessica D. Hoffmann
Affiliation:
Yale University, Connecticut
James C. Kaufman
Affiliation:
University of Connecticut
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Summary

The development of creativity is simultaneously possible and impossible. It is impossible because creativity is very domain specific, which means there is no general, all-purpose creative-thinking skill or set of skills that is applicable across domains. Just as there is no such thing as domain-general expertise – one can be an expert in one or many domains, but one cannot be an all-purpose expert in all domains – there is no domain-general creativity. There being no such domain-general skills, there are no domain-general creativity-relevant skills to be nurtured. On the other hand, the nurturance of creativity domain by domain is quite possible. This chapter explores the issue of how domain specificity affects the development of creativity.

Keywords

domain specificitycreativitydevelopment of creativitytalent developmentcreativity training
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Lifespan Development of Creativity , pp. 265 - 277
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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