Imagination: Creating alternatives in everyday life
Tania Zittoun & Alex Gillespie
| Abstract |
In this chapter we present an integrative sociocultural model of
imagination. From this perspective, imagination can be seen as a
psychological process of temporary “uncoupling” from the ongoing,
here-and-now, socially shared world. Although imagination is often
private, it is deeply social and cultural in its nature, content
and outcomes. We will first identify some of the conditions which
lead the mind disengage from the immediacy of action and become
absorbed in reverie. These conditions include when the socially
shared world becomes dull (leading to boredom), when there is
anxiety about the future, and when the social world becomes
overwhelming, for example with major uncertainty. We then examine
imagination as a psychological process. We show how it is nourished
with a wide range of social and personal experiences, images,
representations, which becomes the “stuff” that populates
imagination. Finally, we examine the outcomes of imagination:
eventually, as the person “recouples” with the ongoing socially
shared reality, the outcomes of the imagination feed into
understanding and action, potentially informing the trajectory of
individuals or groups. In some cases, imagination can lead to
surprising and unpredictable outcomes, which may be acknowledged or
rejected by society, and thus, we argue, imagination feeds into
creativity and even innovation. We highlight these dynamics and
their variation along a series of analytical dimensions which
conceptualize a wide range of phenomena; doing so, leads us to
distinguish imagination and creativity and also show the benefits
of linking these two concepts together. |
| Keywords |
imagination; creativity; trajectories; lifecourse; cultural psychology |
| Citation | Zittoun, T., & Gillespie, A. (2016). Imagination: Creating alternatives in everyday life. In V. P. Glăveanu (Ed.), The Palgrave handbook of creativity and culture research (pp. 225-242). London and New York: Palgrave. |
| Type | Book chapter (English) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Editor | Vlad Petre Glăveanu |
| Book title | The Palgrave handbook of creativity and culture research |
| Publisher | Palgrave (London and New York) |
| Pages | 225-242 |
| Related project | Imagination |