From the Cradle to Society: “As-If” Thinking as a Matrix of Creativity

In this paper, as-if thinking is addressed as a constitutive component of creativity at the individual and social level. We explore its functions across the life span and envision a fundamental continuity between its use in pretend play during childhood and its involvement in the process of social change. Psychoanalytic theory and its integration with developmental and cultural psychology constitute the background of our contribution and are used to define its starting hypothesis. On the basis of this literature, we also introduce a concept of everyday, ordinary creativity. Two main results are suggested. As-if thinking, that we learn to use in infancy when our capacity to symbolize starts to develop, can add a significant contribution to the process of social evolution. Many children develop creative capacities spontaneously. After childhood, however, the future of creativity is not predetermined and can follow different trajectories, depending on the level of investment in it.