Creativity versus Intelligence Essay Example for Free

Creativity versus Intelligence Essay I have been accepted by a research company, a company I have been dreaming to be a part of ever since I discovered that I have extreme interest for research and that I possess skills that only researchers have. My mother however has a bakeshop that I play a large role in; without me, my mom will be having excruciating difficulty running the business alone. As soon as I received the letter stating that I have been accepted to the part-time research job I applied for I went to the company downtown and spoke to the one in charge of the Human Resources division. I have been told that if I have finally decided to accept it, I should return for the contract to be signed. I left the research company and drove around town thinking of what I should do. As I was driving my mother called and told me to drop by at the bakeshop as soon as I can. When I arrived there a few minutes later she told me she’ll make an offer I could not refuse. She said she will promote me – from being an assistant baker to be the head, a dream which I have been yearning to attain as well. Creative Thinking Strategy I left the bakeshop to think. I called my best friend and told her I would like to brainstorm with her with regards to my dilemma. I am aware that in brainstorming I should: 1) â€Å"suspend judgment† or to make a final assessment or evaluation later; 2) â€Å"think freely† or to include countless options even though they are ridiculous or seemingly impossible to attain; 3) â€Å"tag on† or to develop and adapt the ideas of other individuals; and 4) come up with countless of ideas (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). This is what my best friend and I did: First, I â€Å"suspended judgment† by considering both accepting the job in the research company and taking the promotion in the bakeshop as excellent choices (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). This helps me avoid being biased on one over the other (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). This strategy plays a large role in balancing my options at least initially (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). Second, I engaged in â€Å"thinking freely† (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). This led me to come up with ridiculous options like â€Å"maybe I should give up both opportunities and focus on my studies first; maybe later I will have these chances knock up my door once more† and â€Å"maybe I should just ask my mother to wait until I finish my contract with the research company† (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). Third, I â€Å"tagged on† as well (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). I developed and adapted the idea of my best friend to just stay in the bakeshop since my mother needs me more than the research company (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). She said that I should be doing my responsibility first as a child before I attend to somebody else’s (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). I took this seriously and thought I should really pick this as the best option especially that it is our own business after all (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). The current generation, as well as, the succeeding generations will be the first ones to benefit from this if I just stay and help make it more successful (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). Finally, I listed down all the other options I have including taking both jobs and just go through everything successfully by employing time management and discipline (Harris, 2002, n. p. ). The Solution The option I have chosen is to accept the part-time job at the research company, as well as, the promotion at the bakeshop while attending college. I will do my best to carry out my responsibilities through time management as well as discipline. Reflection on the Difference between Intelligence and Creativity I realized that, indeed, â€Å"time pressure quashes creativity because it limits people’s freedom to ponder different options and directions† (Murray, 2002, p. 24). If the company obliged me to return there to sign the contract ASAP or if my mom pressured into deciding ASAP, I would not have thought clearly, I would not have gotten the chance to evaluate all the possible options that I have and would not get to pick the best alternative as well (Murray, 2002, p. 24). This also made me realize the difference between intelligence and creativity. Intelligence may be innate, it may be there when you need it; it may also be acquired through a good education. Intelligence is stored and may just be retrieved if necessary. Creativity on the hand may also be innate and may also be acquired; but it is different in such a way that unlike intelligence it cannot just be retrieved and utilized. There are other factors to consider for instance â€Å"time pressure†, this may get in the way of creativity (Ordonez et. al. , 1997, pp. 121 140). One may be intelligent but one cannot be too creative especially if he or she is under time pressure; in fact it has been concluded in a certain study that â€Å"†¦if one is crunched the less likely he or she will be able to solve a tricky problem† (Murray, 2002, p. 24). References Harris, R. (2002). Creative Thinking Techniques. Retrieved November 14, 2008 from http://www. virtualsalt. com/crebook2. htm Murray, B. (2002). A Ticking Clock Means a Creativity Drop. Retrieved November 14, 2008 from http://www. apa. org/monitor/nov02/tickingclock. html Ordonez, L Benson, L. (1997). Decision under Time Pressure: How Time Constraints Affects Risky Decision Making. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes (71) 2, 121 – 140.