Creativity in Adulthood

Abstract

Adulthood holds a special promise for creativity. Not only is this developmental period the longest, but also the most advanced in terms of maturity of mental and biological structures people achieve. Therefore, adulthood quite naturally forms an arena for creative activities and achievements. However, creativity in adulthood does not only (or even not mainly) refer to test-measured creative potential; rather, it denotes expertise-based, mature, and in some rare cases, eminent creativity. What are the milestones of creative development in adulthood? Why is it that so many people do not reach the level of mature creativity? What makes adults realize, or not, their creative potential, and invest their time and effort to develop it? We discuss these questions and show some new avenues for future research.