Question

Explain the stage of incubation in creative thinking.

Answer 1

Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Scientists, musicians, poets, fashion designers, interior decorators, etc. always think in a creative way.

The stage of incubation in creative thinking explained as follows:

After preparation, a person starts working on a problem but may not get the required solution. This initial failure leads to the stage of incubation. During this stage the person is so frustrated that he /she thinks of giving up. The person then leaves the problem and focuses on other things which are unrelated to the problem. Incubation may help the person to work on the problem without consciously thinking about it. This period, though appears to be non-fruitful, is followed by a period of sudden appearance of the solution.