Functional Fixedness and Society

1. Functional Fixedness
and Society
Denise Mac Giolla Ri
3/3/2014

2. Aim
• To understand functional fixedness in relation to
society
• To understand the relationship between creativity and
necessity

3. Modern V Primitive
• What is the difference between modern society and primitive societies?
• Modern society
• Technology
• Individuality – focused
• Self-actualisation
• Outsourcing of the production of goods
• Large scale production of goods
• Viability dependant upon the consumer demand and market
• Globalisation
• Ease of access to goods
• Competitive*

4. • Primitive society
• Underdeveloped – culture, technology, economic
• Self-reliant
• Individual/family
• Fewer recourses but skilled to make the best use of the
available resources
• Skills passed on
• Based upon survival

5. Modern society
• Ireland during ‘Celtic Tiger’
• ‘plenty of money’
• Market driven
• Problems solved with material possessions (products)
• Consumerism
• Immediate gratification

6. • Reliance on the market place
• Convenience
• Gratification
• Detachment
• Move away from self reliance (cultural shift)
• Baking, knitting, sewing, mending, making….

7. • Ireland post ‘Celtic Tiger’
• Less money
• Focus self and family and community
• Emergence of ‘lost’ skills
• ‘Choice’ – do anything you what…
• Openness

8. • Less resources more creativity
• Less money more personal production
• Gardening for food
• Commuinity gargening – mens sheds
• Updating furniture – reuse
• Baking
• Knitting
• Aided by internet – access to information, inspiration,
‘Know how’

9. Culture
• Origins of Irish ‘Self reliance’ and ‘Small group dependency’
• Civil unrest, poverty, and adversity
• Island nation
• Turf for energy
• Food – use all parts of the animal
• Stone walls – available materials
• Tradition arising from available resources
• Playing spoons

10. Creativity and Necessity
• Necessity as a drive to solve problems
• Necessity using it as an opportunity to create
• Functional fixedness is not part of survival mode

11. END