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Section 2: Creative Blocks

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Six sessions of identifying and overcoming barriers to creative thinking

Overview

This section explores the various mental barriers that prevent us from solving problems creatively. Drawing heavily from James Adams' work on "Conceptual Blockbusting," you'll learn to identify and overcome the blocks that limit your problem-solving effectiveness.

The Four Types of Creative Blocks

1. Perceptual Blocks

What they are: Obstacles that prevent you from clearly perceiving the problem or information needed to solve it.

Examples: - Difficulty isolating the problem - Inability to see the problem from various viewpoints - Stereotyping and labeling that limits perception - Saturation or information overload

Practice exercises: - Weird Organism problem - Rearranged Triangle challenge

2. Emotional Blocks

What they are: Feelings and attitudes that interfere with your ability to solve problems.

Examples: - Fear of taking risks or making mistakes - Inability to tolerate ambiguity - Preference for judging rather than generating ideas - Lack of appetite for chaos during problem-solving

Key insight: Learning to be comfortable with not knowing the answer immediately.

3. Cultural Blocks

What they are: Social and cultural constraints that limit the range of solutions you consider.

Examples: - Taboos against questioning certain assumptions - Fantasy and reflection are a waste of time - Reason and logic are good; intuition and feelings are bad - Tradition is preferable to change

Practice focus: Breaking free from "that's not how we do things" thinking.

4. Intellectual Blocks

What they are: Limitations in your thinking strategies and problem-solving approaches.

Examples: - Lack of intellectual flexibility - Poor use of problem-solving strategies - Inadequate information or incorrect use of information - Inflexible use of intellectual problem-solving strategies

Key Learning Activities

The Barometer Story

A classic example demonstrating multiple creative solutions to a single problem, showing how breaking free from conventional thinking opens up numerous possibilities.

Group Laboratory Exercises

  • Dominoes Lab: Collaborative problem-solving requiring diverse approaches
  • Collective Reproduction: Large-group data collection and pattern recognition

Individual Challenges

  • Telltale Number: Practice in questioning assumptions
  • Mercury's Hidden Hemisphere: Breaking through perceptual limitations
  • Walking Through Walls: Metaphorical thinking and creative reframing

The Blockbusting Toolkit

Techniques for Breaking Perceptual Blocks

  • Change your viewpoint
  • Question boundaries and constraints
  • Use all your senses
  • Look for patterns and relationships

Techniques for Breaking Emotional Blocks

  • Cultivate a playful attitude
  • Practice tolerance for ambiguity
  • Separate idea generation from idea evaluation
  • Build confidence through small successes

Techniques for Breaking Cultural Blocks

  • Question "obvious" assumptions
  • Seek input from diverse perspectives
  • Challenge traditional approaches
  • Practice thinking like an outsider

Techniques for Breaking Intellectual Blocks

  • Learn multiple problem-solving strategies
  • Practice switching between approaches
  • Seek sufficient information before concluding
  • Develop intellectual flexibility

The Role of Collaboration

This section emphasizes that creative thinking benefits from:

  • Diverse perspectives from classmates with different backgrounds
  • Safe environments for sharing "wild" ideas
  • Constructive criticism that builds rather than destroys
  • Group brainstorming sessions with specific rules and structures

GameWorth Practice for This Section

Focus your daily practice sessions on:

  1. Identifying your personal blocks through self-observation
  2. Experimenting with unfamiliar approaches to familiar problems
  3. Practicing idea generation separate from idea evaluation
  4. Documenting breakthrough moments when blocks are overcome
  5. Building tolerance for confusion and ambiguity

Assessment and Reflection

Your work will be evaluated on:

  • Recognition of your own blocking patterns
  • Willingness to try unconventional approaches
  • Quality of collaborative contributions
  • Documentation of creative breakthroughs
  • Growth in flexibility and openness

Resources and Readings

  • Adams, Chapter 2: Perceptual Blocks
  • Adams, Chapter 3: Emotional Blocks
  • Adams, Chapter 4: Cultural Blocks
  • Adams, Chapter 5: Intellectual Blocks
  • Adams, Chapter 7: Blockbusters (techniques for overcoming blocks)
  • Platt: "Diversity" - the value of multiple approaches

The goal is not to eliminate all blocks (impossible), but to recognize them when they occur and have strategies for working around them.