Creativity, Key 3: Judgment
[Excerpted from, 9 Keys to Creativity: Positive Psychology ?2023]
Our third tool for increased creativity may seem counterintuitive. Staying within the framework of 6 virtues and 24 character traits, specifically that virtue of wisdom within which creativity lies, judgment – critical thinking, discernment, decision-making, as in, using one’s best judgment – is our next key.
In the Wisdom virtue, that is, how we acquire and understand knowledge, judgment is sometimes deemed “open-mindedness” – but we’ll actually see that as our next key instead, as it’s worthwhile for our purposes to separate them out. This is reflective judgment, in which one thinks deeply, considers and reconsiders rather than jumping to conclusions or going with first impressions, and assesses one’s own decision-making past and present while avoiding rumination. What it’s not, is criticism, neither of self nor of other people.
The VIA Institute on Character defines this strength of judgment as “making rational and logical choices, and analytically evaluating ideas, opinions, and facts.” If we think of a judge in a courtroom, he or she impartially examines all possible evidence, weighing it fairly, thinking it through, and finally reaching a conclusion – and changing that conclusion if new evidence comes to light. In the virtue of wisdom, this is also how we must function, as we try to see things from as many angles as possible, consider opinions or ideas that differ, perhaps drastically, from our own, and generally think as broadly and as deeply as we can.
This doesn’t require one to be an intellectual. Naturally, some have a greater capacity for deep thinking than others; however, this simply means that we don’t make rash or light decisions but try to consider as many possibilities as we can before making our determination – and to be willing to change our minds should new evidence arise.
And how could this very cerebral, frontal lobe, analytical quality possibly relate to creativity?
Our strength of judgment is meant to counteract faulty thinking, by allowing us to also think creatively. To wit: we all tend to stick with our favorite ideas, or mainstream views, or the ideology of our family or political party, or even the doctrine of our religion. There isn’t anything wrong with this per se – except that we aren’t thinking, nor are we all that engaged in the making of our own life and self; we’re operating instead by rote, and following.
Creativity requires thinking outside of the box, away from the norm and free from stereotype. It doesn’t necessitate that we doubt our religion or change our worldview, but that we be willing to or at least capable of doing so. In this strength of judgment, we consider all views, sides, biases, beliefs; we actively seek out ideas other than or even counter to our own. This is extremely creative thinking, even as it’s also analytical. Thus, strengthening our ability of judgment, being willing to courageously consider views counter to our own, is a creative act.
Judgment is also about good decision-making, having first considered all options. To make thoughtful decisions in life, we must be able to imagine all potential results including the consequences of our own actions. This is the peak of creativity. Poor decisions are often made quickly, without considering all evidence, and without envisioning all possible outcomes to their end.
Like all other of the character strengths, our judgment is developed over time as a process of maturation. We learn from our life experiences and our mistakes, we hone our skills of predicting outcome and considering all options, and we refine our judgment – and our creativity – throughout our lifespan.
Research conducted by Wagner et al. (2021) indicates that the character strength of judgment is strongly associated with flourishing, or thriving, as is creativity, while fairness and several others are also related but less strongly. Judgment was also strongly correlated with the domains of both work and education, and the authors have determined that the significance of judgment, creativity, and fairness to flourishing, a term used to summarize the PERMA model, has been previously underestimated.
Huber et al. (2020), in their study of physicians, demonstrated that judgment, along with fairness, honesty, and love, were essential for wellbeing and work engagement, while judgment alone, of the 24 character strengths, indicated a protective quality against burnout. In an education-related study of secondary students, Wagner et al. (2020) showed that judgment, along with several other strengths, facilitated the flow state across various learning situations – a direct link between judgment and creativity -- and was also conducive to self-rated achievement.
So how can we strengthen our ability of judgment, in order to enhance our creativity?
We can seek out alternate viewpoints, for a start. Social media, and Internet generally, has often been referred to as a ‘silo’ in which we only have those publications, organizations, groups, or individuals in our newsfeeds that support our worldview. Seeking out contradictory views is uncomfortable – and, it makes us reconsider, think more deeply, make better decisions, and think outside of our norm, i.e., creatively.
We can reflect on past decisions we’ve made, not obsessively (i.e., rumination) but simply to check in with our own psyches to see if we’ve matured since then, if we might make a different decision today. We can regularly assess our self-awareness, learn from others, and ask for feedback. We can engage in collective decision-making, in which we may face alternate and contradictory viewpoints as a matter of course. And we can become increasingly comfortable with dissent, conflict, and uncertainty as a result.
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Exercises:
It’s best if we practice hypothetical judgment and decision-making, that we may refine our skills prior to our having to engage them in any major circumstance. One of the ways to do this is to consider a controversial topic, write it down, and then write as many arguments for and against as you can imagine, in detail.
A similar exercise begins with a challenging issue in your own life, either now or imagined as a possibility in the future (e.g, getting married or not, having a child or not, a career change, or changing political parties). Using a brainstorming technique, fill a blank sheet of paper with all the arguments in favor of the issue; then, flipping the paper over, do the same on the reverse for all the possible arguments against. (The act of using 2 sides of the same sheet, rather than 2 separate sheets, is deliberately chosen for its subconscious impact, i.e., 2 sides of the same issue.)
In another practice, you can write down a decision that you know you’ll need to make in the near future. Then try to imagine all possible actions or decisions you could make. And as a third step, consider the potential outcomes of each of those actions or decisions. There is no need to choose one – just to paint the big picture for now, in as much detail as you can, considering all possibilities.
To develop collaborative judgment, gather a few friends or colleagues, divide into two groups, and following general debate principles, have one team develop an argument for a highly controversial topic, while the other team does the opposite – and work it through together. Conversely, you and a few others can remain as one team, imagine that you’re facing a difficult situation (e.g., having to cut company costs by laying off workers), and work through the issue together from as many angles as you can collectively imagine.
Finally, a reconsideration of past decisions: think of a decision you made, and consider whether you would make the same judgment today – and your reasons why, or why not. Alternately, think of a time when someone treated you in what you thought was an unjust manner – and imagine several reasons why they may have considered their behavior correct or acceptable; try to see the issue through their eyes.
And on we go to the related quality of open-mindedness.
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References:
Huber A, Strecker C, Hausler M?et al. (2020).?Possession and Applicability of Signature Character Strengths: What Is Essential for Well-Being, Work Engagement, and Burnout??Applied Research Quality Life?15, 415–436. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9699-8
Wagner L, Holenstein M, Wepf H et al. (2020). Character Strengths Are Related to Students’ Achievement, Flow Experiences, and Enjoyment in Teacher-Centered Learning, Individual, and Group Work Beyond Cognitive Ability.?Frontiers in Psychology?11:1324. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01324
Wagner L, Pindeus L, and Ruch W (2021). Character Strengths in the Life Domains of Work, Education, Leisure, and Relationships and their Associations with Flourishing. Frontiers in Psychology 12:597534. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.597534
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