As the applause swelled, Dr. Guilford took a deep breath, smoothed his tie and jacket, and long and illustrious career. He had dedicated his life to psychological research. He’d played a key leadership role during World War II, helping the U.S. military carry out the most massive testing program in history. And now, he had attained the highest honour that the discipline of psychology could give—he had been elected president of the American Psychological Association. Every year, at the annual meeting of the Association, the president gives the keynote speech, and in 1950 at Pennsylvania State College, this was Dr. J. P. Guilford’s moment. Presidents traditionally use this opportunity to emphasize an important issue that they think deserves more psychological study. As Dr. Guilford began his talk, the hundreds of assembled psychologists in the room were shocked when they realized the topic he had chosen: the APA president had chosen to talk about creativity.
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