10 BARRIERS TO CREATIVITY IN CHILDREN AND ADULTS - ARTE - 2025

The main barriers to creativity are the difficulty to perceive distant relationships, the belief that fantasizing is a waste of time, relying too much on logic and reason, inability to make self-criticism and the fear of being wrong.

Blockages or lack of ideas are phenomena that all humans experience at some point or another. In fact, surely we have all been frustrated when faced with a problem and not finding the solutions we want or need.

However, there are people who have a greater facility to generate alternatives and develop creative skills and people who find it more difficult to adopt this type of thinking.

Each person has different mental characteristics that can predispose him more or less to generate new ideas or different points of view in different situations. When a person overcomes these aspects with relative ease, they most likely have a very high creative capacity.

What is creativity?

Creativity is a cognitive ability characterized by generating original ideas and concepts, or novel associations between known ideas and concepts.

This aptitude is usually vital for obtaining original solutions, that is, finding a different way of doing things or solving problems from those previously established.

In this way, creativity is considered a synonym for "original thinking" "constructive imagination" or "divergent thinking".

This ability is possessed by all people, although some have a greater ability to generate creative thoughts than others. This fact is explained from the point of view of individual differences.

The way of being, the styles of thought, learning, emotional functioning, cognitive capacities and social and cultural factors, intervene when defining the creative abilities of a person.

The barriers to creativity

Creativity barriers are popularly known as creativity blocks or blocks. No matter how creative a person is, there is no one who has never experienced a blockage or difficulties in developing creativity.

In fact, as the creator of the Strategy for the Development of Creativity Blocks, Alvin L. Simberg, postulates, the natural type of thinking of human beings is not creative.

People have a high degree of need to socialize that influences our behavior and our cognitive style. In order to integrate into society, we have to adopt a series of shared norms and thoughts, a fact that runs counter to divergent thinking and creative ability.

However, at many times we want to make use of this ability and this different style of thinking, since it allows us to find a greater number of solutions, have original thoughts and ideas of great value.

When we want to make use of creativity, we need to overcome these barriers so that the blocks do not appear. Generally speaking, blocks can be due to factors such as extreme rationalism, superficial approaches, lack of confidence, reduced motivation, or poor abilities to listen to others.

As we can see, cognitive, perceptual, social, and emotional aspects are involved. Below we review the 10 main barriers to creativity that prevent the appearance of this skill and cause the presence of blocks.

1- Difficulty isolating

This is probably the main barrier to creativity that prevents, from the beginning, the appearance of divergent thinking. It is a perceptual barrier and lies in the analysis and evaluation that is carried out on the concepts.

The difficulty of isolating a problem from the problems with which it is related immediately originates rigid thinking in which the search for alternatives becomes very complicated.

This phenomenon can be associated with the popular expression "a tree does not allow us to see the forest" and it usually appears very frequently. People organize the contents in our minds in an organized way, with categories and classifications that allow us to have a certain order on the concepts.

However, when we set out to use creative thinking, this way of perceiving the elements must disappear.

It is necessary to try to analyze the concepts separately without taking into account their related aspects, since the previously established relationship limits the ability to adopt other points of view.

2- Difficulty not investigating the obvious

People are used to adopting a linear, everyday and ordinary style of thinking. Many things are taken for granted and the why or the more specific characteristics are not questioned.

The chairs are used to sit because that is how they have taught us, that is how we have learned it and in this way it has been stored in our minds.

In this way, we will rarely question why chairs are used for sitting or why they cannot serve other functions or be used in a different way. This aspect, like the previous one, creates a perceptual barrier to creativity.

Not questioning the most obvious things helps us to have an organized and well-established style of thinking, essential for the mental well-being of a person.

However, this very fact also limits our creative capacity and eliminates the appearance of alternatives.

To adopt a creative thinking style, you start by questioning the obvious and not taking anything for granted. What is taken for granted refers to an organized style of thinking but is antagonistic to creativity.

3- Difficulty perceiving remote relationships

The difficulties in perceiving remote relationships must be taken into account. Perceiving unlikely relationships refers to the ability to form or transfer concepts.

Actually, it constitutes the knot of the whole learning process and means the ability to see a solution in one area and also to be able to see its application to other areas.

When we "seek" creativity, people believe that the search for relationships and partnerships is vitally important. And de facto it is true, creativity lies in finding new ideas, original concepts and different associations between concepts and pre-established ideas.

However, people tend to associate similar or relatively related aspects, and it costs us much more to establish more remote or unusual relationships.

To develop creativity and avoid blockages, it is important to go further and relate separate concepts, disconnected ideas, aspects that we could hardly think could be related.

4- Believe that fantasizing is a waste of time

Often times, the need to be creative comes up in times of stress, a lot of work, or the need to find solutions quickly.

This fact already creates an added handicap for the development of this mental ability, since creativity does not have established appearance times. In fact, you cannot foresee when an original idea will appear or when we will have novel solutions to a problem.

From a socio-cultural point of view, the idea may appear that fantasizing is a waste of time. Demand, productivity, the need to be effective can be very important enemies of creativity.

When we are preparing to acquire original thoughts we must put aside time. Speculation has always been a precursor to invention, most new inventions or products were at some point a simple wish or fantasy of someone.

To create it is important to fantasize, even if this means a greater expenditure of time.

5- Need to adapt to the rules

Continuing with the group of barriers to creativity encompassed in social and cultural aspects, the need to adapt to the norms appears.

Divergent thinking is not the way of thinking that people adopt naturally. This fact is explained by the need that humans have to adapt to each other, and establish common thoughts and concepts for all that allow us to coexist.

Thus, the style of thinking that allows us to integrate into society is the same that can limit the emergence of creativity. When we want to adopt creative thinking we have to put aside socially established norms or concepts.

If we present a high need to adapt to what has already been established, we will have greater difficulties in establishing new ideas and concepts and creative capacity can be very limited.

6- Excessive faith in logic and reason

Although it may seem counterintuitive, having excessive faith in logic and reason can create a significant barrier to creativity.

Logic and reason are necessary concepts but they are based on previously established aspects. It is logical and rational that, before cooking some macaroni, you have to heat water until it boils.

However, the idea that was possessed in previous centuries that only machines that were lighter than air could fly was also logical and rational.

Science is advancing at great speed and more and more concepts are being proven through irrefutable evidence.

However, today not everything is governed by science and although it has to be done in a relatively equitable way, to approach creativity we often have to move slightly away from logic and reason.

7-Hold on to the first idea that appears

With this we begin to discuss the group of emotional barriers to creativity, which may acquire greater importance than all those discussed so far.

Clinging to the first idea that appears, constitutes a need for self-affirmation, to believe that one is fast and efficient, and that with a single thought one has already found a magnificent solution.

And in fact, often the first idea can be the good one, yet sticking with it is the worst barrier to creativity. When we try to generate alternatives, we must acquire the notion that we must produce a large number of ideas.

This fact will not provide a greater number of alternatives and the same appearance of ideas can catapult other different thoughts.

It may turn out that when it is finished, the first idea turns out to be the best of all, but regardless of its qualities, we must never stop at it before generating many others.

8- Inability to self-criticize

If we are unable to criticize ourselves or see our own flaws, creativity will be compromised.

Divergent thinking requires new conceptions of any aspect, but it also requires an evaluation of what is generated.

In order to be creative we have to see our weak points, accept mistakes and constantly try to improve ourselves, otherwise we will fall into monotonous and unchanged thinking.

9- Fear of being wrong

Faced with the fear of error, people automatically adopt the safest thoughts that provide us with feelings of confidence. However, thoughts of security are characterized by being socially accepted and, therefore, by not being novel.

Many creative ideas fail to flourish because you fear criticism from other people. A creative idea is in itself new to others, so it can always be criticized.

Thus, to develop creativity you have to be able to overcome this fear and avoid fearful thoughts about the idea generated.

10- Conative barriers

Lack of will or attitude can be a powerful barrier to creativity. If there is no curiosity, interest or motivation for what surrounds us, creativity will not take place.

In general, creativity is a style of thinking that is linked to motivation and conviction. Apathetic or unmotivated thoughts are never creative.

References

1. Ballester Vallri, Antonio (2002). Meaningful learning in practice. How to make learning meaningful in the classroom. Spain.
2. Csikszenmihalyi, M. (1998). Creativity. Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. Paidos. Barcelona.
3. De Bono, E. (1999). Creative thinking. The power of lateral thinking for the creation of new ideas. Mexico. Editorial Paidós Plural.
4. Guilford, JP et al. Compiler: Strom, RD (1983). Creativity and Education. Spain. Paidos Editions.
5. Mitjáns, MA (1995). Creativity Personality and Education. Havana. Editorial Pueblo y Educación.
6. Ulmann, G. (1972). Creativity. Madrid. Ediciones Rialp, S. A