An empirical study of the peculiarities of verbal and figurative creativity in adolescence

The article presents the detailed analysis of the phenomenon of creativity of the individual as a complex, multifaceted, heterogeneous phenomena, leading to a range of theoretical and experimental areas of study. It was analyzed two approaches to the definition of this phenomenon: the concept of creativity as universal cognitive creative abilities and the direction of research examining creativity from a position of identity of the personal characteristics of creative. It is substantiated the urgency of its research and development in adolescence: due to the natural flexibility, active rejection of stereotypes, seeking self-improvement, formation of self-perspective, the specified age period is considered to be one of the most sensitive for the development of creativity as a personal quality. It was empirically established the peculiarities of the structural profile of creativity in adolescence, with verbal and figurative batteries of creativity test by E. Torrance. The test is based on G. Guildford’s theory of divergent thinking and is considered a classic one in the field of psycho-diagnostics of creativity. It diagnoses the peculiarities of verbal creativity (reliably demonstrates the overall creativity of the individual), its qualitative originality through the analysis of the creative abilities structure (expression levels of performance data, flexibility and originality). It also identifies the peculiarities of personality’s creative potential through the analysis of the total indicator of figurative creativity and its partial indicators (productivity, originality, elaboration, resistance to closure). It was revealed that the averaged total and partial indicators of verbal creativity are at the level below the norm (except partial measure of verbal originality). This result indicates a rather low capacity of the studied adolescents to generate ideas of solving problems in verbal form. The expressed ideas are monotonous, one-dimensional, slightly original. The averaged total and partial indicators of figurative creativity of the subjects are at the level of norm. In non-verbal form, the respondents express a sufficient number of original ideas, which are quite detailed. It was found that among the studied adolescents there are those who have a heterogeneous structure of both verbal and figurative creative skills. It was not detected the creatives in the sample of adolescents. It was determined the necessity of conducting work on the development of creativity as ability to create in the subjects of adolescence.