2006 International Conference

							                           International Track:
                Risk-taking as a factor of creative thinking

Professor Abdullah Alsafi
King Khalid University
College of education
Department of Educational Psychology
Abha, Saudi Arabia P.O.BOX 9035
profalsafi@gmail.com



Risk-taking has not been a major area of study during recent decades, but increasing interest is being
taken in its relation to creative thinking . The definitions of risk–taking vary widely depending on the
researchers, purposes and theoretical biases .most definitions of risk-taking were concerned with
economic theory in the first half of twentieth century. Moreover, Lopes (1983), indicates that the
psychological dimension of risk-taking was generally neglected

Before discussing the educational implications of risk taking, in its relationship to creative thinking,
certain basic factors involved in risk-taking deserve mention. These include situational factors such
as the nature of the risk taking task, the nature of motivation provided by the task, and the effect of
other people on risk taker . These also include gender differences, age, profession, values, anxiety
level, and creativity of the risk taker. Discussion of these will lead to suggestions on how risk –taking
can be integrated into the learning environment.




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