On the relationship between creative potential and creative achievement: Challenges and future directions

Abstract

A central tenet in creativity research is that individual differences in creative achievement arise from the interplay of individual differences in creative potential. So far, however, measures of creative potential (e.g., divergent thinking ability) have explained only very limited variance in creative achievement. This article identifies eight conceptual and methodological challenges that require attention in the study of creative potential-achievement relationship, including considerations regarding the proper assessment of creative achievement, the scope and specificity of creative potential, forms of interaction and developmental dynamics, the role of mediating creative behaviors, environmental influences, and sample characteristics. These deliberations inform a model of individual differences in creativity, which outlines the structure and interplay of relevant components at the levels of creative potential, creative behavior, and creative achievement under the influence of the environment. Drawing a more detailed picture of the complexities associated with the creative potential-achievement relationship may help to improve and eventually also recognize limits to the prediction of creative achievement. Educational relevance and implication statementThis article highlights the many facets of creativity at the level of creative potential, creative behavior, and creative achievement, and proposes mechanisms of how creative potential manifests into creative achievement. Implication for educational practice include the understanding that different aspects of creative potential are relevant at different stages in creative development and for different creative domains, which has implications for the fostering of creative potential.