"The Beyonder"
Dr. E. Paul Torrance’s (1919-2003) contributions to the field of creativity are significant and long lasting. He was an exceptionally productive researcher on the Psychology of Education & Creativity. He published more than 1800 articles, books, presentations during his lifetime. Got up every morning at 4 am to write. He was devoted to his field and received many awards, honors and citations. He coined the term “Beyonder” as those who were ultra-achievers with a remarkable record that almost seems superhuman.
A Manifesto for Adults (Torrance & Millar) synthesizes his findings: Being a Beyonder means doing your very best, going beyond where you have been before, and going beyond where others have gone.
They are tolerant of mistakes by themselves and others.
The beyonders take delight in deep thinking.
They are able to feel comfortable as a minority of one.
They love the work that they do and do it well.
They have a sense of mission and have the courage to be creative.
They do not waste needless energy trying to be well-rounded.
Highlights of his accomplishments:
To read more on TIM:
An Instructional Model for Enhancing Incubation, by E. Paul Torrance, in the Journal of Creative Behavior, 13(1), pages 23-35 (1979)
The Incubation Model of Teaching: Getting Beyond the Aha! by E. Paul Torrance and Tammy Safter (Bearly Limited, 1999)
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