Convergent Creativity: From Arthur Cropley (1935-) Onwards

Abstract

Arthur Cropley's view on convergent thinking is reviewed, with reflections on the relations of divergent and convergent processes and the roles of knowledge and convergent creativity. While divergence is about considering and generating multiplicity, possibility, difference, originality, and so on; convergence is about relating, associating, combining, and synthesizing. Both convergence and divergence are important mechanisms of creativity. A. J. Cropley's (2006) call for praising convergent thinking was timely as it signified a determined move of converging of a spectrum of knowledge creatively for possibilities.