Tools, toys, truisms, and theories: some thoughts on the creative cycle of theory formation

Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc
Klaus Fiedler

Abstract

Theory creation underlies the basic laws of evolution, calling for both random variation (loosening) and critical selection processes (tightening). Theory construction requires support of both components. However, whereas psychology has created a refined methodology for the tightening stage, attempts to understand the loosening stage of the creative cycle are conspicuously missing. I propose that both aspects of the creative cycle of theory formation can be acquired and exercised playfully, through distinct loosening and tightening games. I outline the rules of these games and illustrate them with examples from contemporary research.

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Citations

Dec 15, 2015·Bioelectromagnetics·Enrique A NavarroFrancisco Montes
Dec 23, 2015·The British Journal of Social Psychology·Felicia Pratto
Aug 11, 2010·Neuropsychologia·Constance Th W M VissersDorothee J Chwilla
Mar 20, 2016·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Herbert Bless, Axel M Burger
Aug 3, 2012·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Paul A M Van Lange
Jul 3, 2018·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Klaus Fiedler
Sep 5, 2020·International Review of Psychiatry·Rainer Matthias Holm-Hadulla
Mar 22, 2019·Cognitive Processing·Marc Jekel
Mar 15, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Naomi EllemersVincent Yzerbyt
Jan 23, 2021·Quality of Life Research : an International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation·Mirjam A G SprangersUNKNOWN Response Shift—in Sync Working Group
May 12, 2020·The Behavioral and Brain Sciences·Spike W S Lee, Norbert Schwarz
Nov 9, 2021·Quality of Life Research : an International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care and Rehabilitation·Mirjam A G SprangersUNKNOWN Response Shift–in Sync Working Group

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