Creativogenic society

The term introduced by Arieti (1976) to describe a type of society that enhances creativity. He described nine presumably creativogenic socio-cultural factors: 1) availability of cultural (and certain physical) means (at least, for the elite of society); 2) openness to cultural stimuli (in different aspects of human life); 3) stress on becoming and not just on being; 4) free access to cultural media for all citizens, without discrimination; 5) freedom, or even the retention of moderate discrimination, after severe oppression or absolute exclusion; 6) exposure to different and even contrasting cultural stimuli; 7) tolerance for diverging views; 8) interaction of significant persons; 9) promotion of incentives and awards. He suggested that only the first factor is absolutely necessary and that "the other eight, although important, are not such factors that a tremendous effort on the part of the creative person could not overcome or remedy their absence" (Arieti 1976: 325). He also argued that the intrapsychic elements of the creative person are more essential for creativity that any socio-cultural circumstances.