Creativity does not occur in a vacuum. When we examine a creative person, creative product, or creative process, we often ignore the environmental milieu. We decontextualize creativity. The environment, however, is always present and can have a profound effect on creative expression. The environment may be involved in stimulating and supporting creativity as well as defining and evaluating it.

In this vein, recent theories have acknowledged that a confluence of environment centered variables and person-centered variables (intelligence, knowledge, cognitive styles, personality, and motivation) is necessary for creativity (Amabile, 1983; Arieti, 1976; Csikszentmihalyi, 1988; Gruber, 1989; Sternberg & Lubart, 1991, 1995). Concerning the environment, we can identify a set of interrelated contexts that influence creativity. These include the physical setting, the family, the school or workplace, the field of endeavor, and the culture. This chapter focuses on the effect of the cultural environment on creativity.

Culture refers to a shared system of cognitions, behaviors, customs, values, rules, and symbols concerning the manner in which a set of people interact with their social and physical environment (Reber, 1985; Triandis, 1996). Culture is learned and socially transmitted from generation to generation. Cultural groups are often identified at the societal level, following geopolitical boundaries. Within these cultural groups there may be identifiable subcultures based on age (e.g., teen culture), socioeconomic class, religion, or other characteristics.