A Brief Synopsis on Paper Clips and Conformity

Many people who think of a creative idea will jump to something big, something that has recently changed the foundation of society. I believe most people would say Apple products are the most important creative idea in the last fifty years or so. I also believe most people, when asked about a genius, would jump straight to some great scientist of the modern era: such as, Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Stephen Hawking. These men are all brilliant men, and have changed dramatically the foundations of the modern world we live in. What constitutes as creative? I believe that creativity is being able to take something, and make something else or use than its intended one. I believe a genius is a person who can take these creative ideas and make them into something that most people wouldn’t be able to do. What sticks out to me as a genius idea is something that many people use every day and don’t think twice about it. The genius idea that sticks out to me the most has been such an important, yet simple tool that has nearly an unlimited amount of uses. The genius idea I decided would be appropriate to talk about in this TED talk, is a paper clip.

                “Why a paper clip?” I’m sure you are all thinking currently, as I stand in front of you and tell you that a twisted piece of wire is so important to society. I want you to think, just for a few seconds, all the different uses you can think of for a paper clip. In the psychology course I’m currently taking, we learned of Sir Ken Robinson, who wrote a psychological study a while back where he had peoples of all age’s list as many uses for a paper clip that they could possibly think of. He duly noted that the younger the school children were, the more uses for a paper clip they could come up with. This was a way to show a psychological processes called “Functional Fixedness”. Functional Fixedness is our inability to see an object for any use other than its intended one. For instance, a paper clips use is to hold papers together. However, it can also be used to unclog something, pick a lock, cleaning your toe nails, scratching a lottery ticket, and almost an unlimited amount of other uses. Some kids used in Sir Robinson’s experiment went as far as to show that perhaps the paperclip has no boundaries, and could be big enough to put wheels on and pushed as a cart. Sir Robinson noticed the trend of creativity depletion as children grew older and went through school. He has since shown in many studies how education has put a road block to creativity in society.

                This particular psychology lecture stuck out in my mind much longer than the usual garb that flows in one year and out the other. It stuck out to me because I realized how much people are missing out on in the world do to functional fixedness. So many live their lives day by day in this structure of society that has been morphed into what’s thought of as what should be normal. Biologically, people need three things to survive: food, water, and shelter from the elements. Psychologically, people need much more. People need comfort, love, compassion, which all amount to the same thing, their own comfort level in living and quality of life. People follow what others do because they believe it is appropriate, and in society you must be like the rest, lest you are cast out into utter darkness and the cold, harsh rain of rejection. Imagine, just for a moment, how different this world would be if society actually realized the absolute depth and creativity of our own human minds. Why is it that most residential neighborhoods have regulations regarding fences, house color, and lawn care? Why is it that people with tattoos all over their bodies are looked at as strange or even dangerous, when in reality they may just be creative? Why is it that people choose to work a job their whole life that they absolutely despise, and give up on their dreams so easily? The reason for this is because society has become filled with people who have an absolute, concrete mindset of functional fixedness. Society has made people into an object with limited uses. We, as humans, are metaphorically paper clips. We have an unlimited amount of opportunity, yet society gives us a standard, or a combine to conform to. Society is the hand that binds the paper clip to the paper so tight that there is no way to continue other than to stay put and do as its intended.

                Think of all the times in your life you have thought of a career path and thought “Wow! That sounds like that’d be the life.”; Only to realize a multitude of scenarios that would prevent you from achieving that goal; whether it is your parents not approving, not having the proper prior achievements to set you down that career path or even a simple fear of rejection and failure. Now that you have functional fixedness removed temporarily from your mind, think again at the many uses of a paper clip. I guarantee that the number you came to previously has multiplied exponentially. Now think of yourself as that paper clip, and remember all the possibilities that you have. Will you conform and do what you’re told because it will make others happy? Or will you say “To hell with it!” ditch the engineering degree that you so despise pursuing, and become the person you always wanted to be? Thank you for your time.

 Bibliography

Sir Ken Robinson’s experiment - http://scienceblogs.com/deanscorner/2011/01/27/education-as-a-roadblock-to-cr/

Functional Fixedness - http://psychcentral.com/encyclopedia/2009/functional-fixedness/