"Beyond Big and Little: The Four C Model of Creativity" by James C. Kaufman and Ronald A. Beghetto

Summary

This academic paper, "Beyond Big and Little: The Four C Model of Creativity," addresses the common dichotomy in creativity research between eminent "Big-C" creativity and everyday "little-c" creativity. The authors, Kaufman and Beghetto, argue that this binary view is insufficient and propose a more nuanced "Four C Model". This model introduces two additional levels: "mini-c" creativity, which encompasses the personal and novel interpretations inherent in the learning process, and "Pro-c" creativity, representing the developmental stage of professional-level expertise in a creative field, falling short of eminent status. The authors detail these four levels, discuss their implications for understanding and researching creativity across different domains and developmental stages, and suggest how this framework can better address enduring questions within the field.