Contemporary psychology, Vol. 12 No. 1, 2009.
Review article
Creativity in the spontaneous culture of children and youth
Mirjana Duran
; Faculty of Philosophy University of Osijek
Abstract
In the tradition of spontaneous culture of children and youth there are various genres of collective creativity which are created, altered, engaged in and passed on from generation to generation during middle childhood and early adolescence: games, jokes, stories, songs, autograph books, codes of behavior, secret languages, fortune telling, magic, secret erotic folklore, dares, diaries, scrapbooks, etc. These modes of creativity satisfy some developmental needs and are reflected in many generations according to the principles that apply to creations belonging to folk culture (anonymity, various variants, innovation, reinterpretation, transformation, etc.). The tenacity of these subculture creations is apparent not only in their duration but also in their adaptability to the spirit of the times. Creations of children's and youth subcultures require an interdisciplinary approach, as well as the interest of developmental psychologists. The theory of Lev S. Vygotsky was applied in the analysis, as a broader theoretical framework of developmental psychology. Based on my numerous previous investigations, this paper examines certain creations from the tradition of spontaneous culture of children and youth, with a particular emphasis on fun superstitions that can be viewed in relation to similar phenomena outside Croatia.
Keywords
spontaneous culture; creativity; subculture creations
Hrčak ID:
82669
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2009.
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