The creative process (also referred to as creative processes) can be broadly defined as the set of cognitive or mental processes that determine the production of ideas that are both novel and useful. Philosophers have long speculated about the possibility that such processes result from irrational rather than rational ideas, and the belief that creative processes arise in trancelike experiences where individuals have little control over their thoughts and behaviors has been widely endorsed for centuries. However, scientific explanations of the creative process have attempted to explain the exact psychological mechanisms by which people create, and have included more than irrational processes.

Creative processes have constituted an area of psychological research for more than a century. Although the literature is scattered, there is no doubt that ...