Worldmaking: Functions and Technologies of Actualization

Abstract

Humanistic analyses of creativity spoke stirringly about the possibilities of life with optimism and courage. Extending the tone that Kurt Goldstein set, these were heroic narratives of human potential. Today, humanistic constructs are not at the leading edge of psychological research in creativity, but their ideals remain implicit in much of that research, influential in clinical applications and readily familiar in the broader culture. To think seriously about creativity, it is important to consider the controversies to which the humanistic theories contributed and the new ones they posed.