Imagination and Its Links with Creativity. A Theoretical Analysis from Developmental Psychology

Florencia Mareovich

Authors

Florencia Mareovich Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto Rosario de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación; Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Psicología

Keywords:

imagination, reality/unreality, creativity, developmental psychology

Abstract

This article presents a theoretical analysis of imagination from developmental psychology, pointing out its links with creativity. Imagination is a collective enterprise and is defined as an integrating and flexible function, which consists in the generation, from previous knowledge, of new ideas and possibilities. Imagination helps not only construct unreal or fantastic worlds, but also construct realities and transform the world, like occur in creatives’ process. Finally, a reflection about the importance of fostering rich contexts that contribute to the development of imagination in childhood is made.

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