Describe five of the seven suggestions for enhancing one's creativity

What will be an ideal response?

Answer will include five of the following seven suggestions for promoting divergent thinking and enhancing creativity: (1) Break mental sets and challenge assumptions. A mental set is the tendency to perceive a problem in a way that blinds us to possible solutions. Mental sets are a major barrier to creative thinking because they tend to lead us to see a problem in preconceived terms that impede our problem-solving attempts. Fixations and functional fixedness are specific types of mental sets. (2) Define problems broadly. An effective way to break mental sets is to enlarge the definition of a problem. For example, if your problem is to design a better doorway, you could define the problem as designing a better way to get through a wall. (3) Restate the problem in different ways. Stating problems in novel ways also tends to produce more creative solutions. One way to restate a problem is to imagine how another person would view it. Also, don't be afraid to ask "silly" or playful questions. (4) Seek varied input. Remember, creativity requires divergent thinking. Rather than digging deeper with logic, you are attempting to shift your mental "prospecting" to new areas. As an example of this strategy, Edward de Bono recommends that you randomly look up words in the dictionary and relate them to the problem. Often the words will trigger a fresh perspective or open a new avenue. (5) Look for analogies. Many "new" problems are really old problems in new clothing. Representing a problem in a variety of ways is often the key to solution. Most problems become easier to solve when they are effectively represented. (6) Allow time for incubation. If you are feeling hurried by a sense of time pressure, you are almost always less likely to think creatively. You need to be able to revise or embellish initial solutions, even those based on rapid insight. Incubation is especially fruitful when you are exposed to external cues that relate to the problem. (7) Delay evaluation. Various studies suggest that people are most likely to be creative when they are given the freedom to play with ideas and solutions without having to worry about whether they will be evaluated. In the first stages of creative thinking, it is important to avoid criticizing your efforts. Worrying about the correctness of solutions tends to inhibit creativity.