A reconstruction of Vygotsky's theory of creativity

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Abstract
In this article, Vygotsky's theory of creative imagination is reconstructed on the basis of Francine Smolucha's translations of three papers which Vygotsky wrote on that topic. The three papers are “Imagination and Creativity in Childhood”; (1930/1967), “Imagination and Creativity in the Adolescent”; (1931/1984), and “Imagination and its Development in Childhood”; (1932/1960b). The three papers on creative imagination are discussed in chronological order with passages from other works by Vygotsky that place his statements regarding creativity into the larger context of his general theory. Vygotsky stated that early creative imagination is evident in the object substitutions that children perform during pretend play, such as the use of a stick as a horse. Creative imagination becomes a higher mental Junction directed by inner speech, and in adolescence it can be used together with conceptual thought. Creative thinking reaches its peak in adulthood as artistic, scientific, and technological innovations.

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