The ability to create inventions, produce works of art, or solve problems using an original, novel, or unconventional approach.

Although many people equate creativity and intelligence, the two terms are not synonymous, and it is not necessary to have a genius-level IQ in order to be creative. While creative people do tend to have average or above-average scores on IQ tests, beyond an IQ of about 120 there is little correlation between intelligence and creativity. Researchers have found environment to be more important than heredity in influencing creativity, and a child's creativity can be either strongly encouraged or discouraged by early experiences at home and in school.

In the 20th century psychologists, educators, and other social scientists have proposed numerous theories of creativity. The psychoanalytic framework of Sigmund Freud emphasized the role of unconscious processes in creativity. Freud introduced the idea that creative achievements in the arts, sciences, and...