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James C Kaufman Ph.D.

About

James C. Kaufman, Ph.D., is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. He is the author/editor of more than 45 books, including Creativity 101 (2nd Edition, 2016) and the Cambridge Handbook of Creativity (2nd Edition, with Robert Sternberg; 2019). Kaufman has also published books with his wife, Allison, on animal creativity and pseudoscience and a book about terrible baseball pitchers with his father, Alan.

He has published more than 400 papers, including the Four-C Model of Creativity (with Ron Beghetto) and the study that spawned the “Sylvia Plath Effect.” He is a past president of Division 10 (Society for Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, & the Arts) of the American Psychological Association (APA). James has won many awards, including Mensa’s research award, the Torrance Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, and APA’s Berlyne, Arnheim, and Farnsworth awards. He co-founded two major journals (Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts and Psychology of Popular Media Culture).

Kaufman has tested Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s creativity on CNN, appeared in the hit Australia show Redesign Your Brain, and narrated the comic book documentary Independents. His musical Discovering Magenta played NYC and its cast album is available on CD and most streaming services. Kaufman has blended his theatre and creativity interests in a forthcoming book with composer Dana P. Rowe, Creating Your Spotlight: Lessons from Harold Hill, Evita, and Hamilton.

For more information, please go to his website.

Books by James C Kaufman Ph.D.
Recent Posts
When the Creativity Researcher Goes Back to Being Creative
For half of me, this is a dream come true. I’m revisiting my musical and reworking the script with my director Valeria and rewriting some songs with my composer Michael. The other half of me is feeling impostor syndrome for the first time since grad school – what the hell am I doing?
Peter Pan and Growing Up
If we believe in fairies, Tinkerbell lives. If we believe in an education system that keeps creativity alive, can Wendy, Tootles, and the rest hold onto some of their spark?
The Danger of (Some) Creativity Advocates

There is a place for revolutionaries. Sometimes it's okay for people to get upset. But can we upset people in a more scientific way?

There is a place for revolutionaries. Sometimes it's okay for people to get upset. But can we upset people in a more scientific way?

Why Couldn't Jean Valjean Have Been More Creative?

With a little creativity, Valjean could have helped a lot more people and made his life a lot easier.

With a little creativity, Valjean could have helped a lot more people and made his life a lot easier.

When it's good to leave money on the table

Leaving "money on the table" is bad for businesses. But not knowing the difference between "money on the table" and "needed incentives" is even worse.

Leaving "money on the table" is bad for businesses. But not knowing the difference between "money on the table" and "needed incentives" is even worse.

Entering IMDb into Evidence? From CSI to being CSI'ed

An IMDb page can be many things - a source of information, promotion, entertainment, or amusement. But rarely have I seen an IMDb page that seems like a harbinger of bad things to come.

An IMDb page can be many things - a source of information, promotion, entertainment, or amusement. But rarely have I seen an IMDb page that seems like a harbinger of bad things to come.

Secret Confessions of an Academic Psychologist

People make some basic assumptions about the basic ability of an academic psychologist to function in society (and even have a certain modicum of smarts). I am the outlier.

People make some basic assumptions about the basic ability of an academic psychologist to function in society (and even have a certain modicum of smarts). I am the outlier.

Too much novelty, not enough appropriateness

Creativity is usually thought to be both new and appropriate to the task. When creativity has too much new and not enough appropriate, some glorious blunders can happen. Take the story of Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant in South Bend, Indian, whose new billboard proclaims: "We're like a cult with better Kool-Aid."

Creativity is usually thought to be both new and appropriate to the task. When creativity has too much new and not enough appropriate, some glorious blunders can happen. Take the story of Hacienda, a Mexican restaurant in South Bend, Indian, whose new billboard proclaims: "We're like a cult with better Kool-Aid."