Week 13 Question 2

2). Name five cultural barriers to creativity. What do you think these would keep a group from being creative? Have you experienced any of these personally? Explain.

Cultural barriers to creativity include a requirement for conformity, an expectation of practicality and efficiency, particular arenas for competition or cooperation, an expectation of politeness and following rules for social order, and a reliance on statistical proofs. When we try to answer the question why these cultural barriers would keep the group from being creative, we first have to talk about culture. Culture is cultivated behavior; that is the totality of a person's learned, accumulated experience which is socially transmitted; therefore, the cultural environment one grew up has a strong influence on creativity by supporting or inhibiting it. Growing up in a very cultural household, I have experienced many of these cultural barriers. However, an expectation of politeness and following rules for social order has most influenced me in dealing with my cultural background. I recall one instance where I was helping in coordination of a wedding ceremony. Because most of the setup was cultural based, me and a handful of people were not able to put into practice any of our ideas.