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I've studied highly creative people for 40 years. These 4 phrases stifle our creativity—how to avoid them

Cnbc · · 827 words · By Anthony Fredericks; Contributor; Anthony D Fredericks; Ed D
Personal development Psychological Mindsets Creativity and Innovation
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What to know about Personal development

But as adults, when we wrestle with issues that demand innovation, it can feel like that spark of creativity has disappeared.

Claims checked 9
Techniques found 2
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

But as adults, when we wrestle with issues that demand innovation, it can feel like that spark of creativity has disappeared.

Why it matters

I've studied creativity for over 40 years as an educator, writer and consultant.

Common ground

I've written over 180 books, including two about how to navigate the obstacles that can make creative thinking more difficult.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Authority: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/07/ive-studied-highly-creative-people-for-40-years4…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Authority 80% confidence
Citing an authority figure as evidence, even when the authority is not qualified on the topic.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to authority helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 7
verified Verified 1
info Single Source 1
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Claim 1: “Anthony D. Fredericks, Ed.D., is professor emeritus of education at York College of Pennsylvania.”
CORROBORATED
Three independent web sources explicitly state he is professor emeritus of education at York College of Pennsylvania.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), styled Sir Anthony Blunt from 1956 until November 1979, was a leading British art historian and a Soviet spy. Blunt was a professor of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Blunt
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on January 17, 1847, the feast day of Saint Anthony…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Anthony_Hall
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 2: “He is the author of Psychology Today's "Creative Insights" blog.”
CORROBORATED
Both Psychology Today and Amazon confirm he authors the 'Creative Insights' blog for Psychology Today.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Abraham Harold Maslow ( MAZ-loh; April 1, 1908 – June 8, 1970) was an American psychologist who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory of psychological health predicated on fulfilling innate hu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Maslow
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Psychoanalysis is a set of theories and techniques to discover unconscious processes and their influence on conscious thought, emotion and behavior. Based on dream interpretation, psychoanalysis is al…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychoanalysis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher and psychologist. The first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States, he is considered to be one of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 3: “I've studied creativity for over 40 years as an educator, writer and consultant.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web sources confirm Anthony D. Fredericks is a professor emeritus of education and a prolific author/consultant specializing in creativity.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dial M for Murder is a 1954 American crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Ray Milland, Grace Kelly, Robert Cummings, Anthony Dawson, and John Williams. Both the screenplay and th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dial_M_for_Murder
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of artists who have competed on the American reality television competition show, The Voice. In its fifteen years running, twenty-nine artists have been granted the title of "The Voice"…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Voice_(American_TV…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “I've written over 180 books, including two about how to navigate the obstacles that can make creative thinking more difficult.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm he has written over 170-175 books. While the claim says 'over 180', sources citing '175+' and 'more than 170' strongly corroborate the scale of his output.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony Frederick Blunt (26 September 1907 – 26 March 1983), styled Sir Anthony Blunt from 1956 until November 1979, was a leading British art historian and a Soviet spy. Blunt was a professor of the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Blunt
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mandrake the Magician is a syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk before he created The Phantom. Mandrake began publication on June 11, 1934. Phil Davis soon took over as the strip's il…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrake_the_Magician
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 5: “His latest book is "The Healing Wisdom of the Forest: Timeless Lessons of Renewal, Tranquility, and Joy."”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including Psychology Today and book release pages, confirm 'The Healing Wisdom of the Forest' is his latest book.
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web search NEUTRAL — “Optimistic and generous, Anthony Fredericks’s The Healing Wisdom of the Forest offers tree-inspired lessons and reflections to reduce stress and increase happiness and well-being.
https://www.anthonydfredericks.com/books-the-healing-wisdom-…
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web search NEUTRAL — “Optimistic and generous, Anthony Fredericks’s The Healing Wisdom of the Forest offers tree-inspired lessons and reflections to reduce stress and increase happiness and well-being.
https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Wisdom-Forest-Timeless-Tranqu…
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web search NEUTRAL — Anthony D. Fredericks, Ed.D. is Professor Emeritus of Education at York College of Pennsylvania. His latest book is The Healing Wisdom of the Forest: Timeless Lessons of Renewal, Tranquility and Joy.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/contributors/anthony-d-fr…
verified
Claim 6: “He has written over 180 nonfiction books including "Two-Minute Habits: Small Habits, Dynamic Creativity."”
VERIFIED
Psychology Today explicitly identifies 'Two-Minute Habits: Small Habits, Dynamic Creativity' as his latest book (at the time of that specific source's update) and confirms his prolific authorship.
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web search NEUTRAL — Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the Antonii, a gens (Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (Marcus Antonius) belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens we…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony
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web search NEUTRAL — Anthony was born from men’s search for products crafted to their specific skin and grooming needs. The result is a collection of innovative, straightforward and benefits-driven skincare formulas. Our …
https://anthony.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — May 29, 2020 · The name became regularly used in the Christian world due to the fame of Saint Anthony the Great, a 4th-century Egyptian hermit who founded Christian monasticism. Its popularity was rei…
https://www.behindthename.com/name/anthony
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Claim 7: “In CNBC's new online course, How To Talk To People At Work, expert instructors share practical strategies to help you use everyday conversations to gain visibility, build meaningful relationships and accelerate your career growth.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is supported by a single cross-reference to CNBC, but no independent web search results were provided to corroborate the course details.
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cross reference SUPPORTS — CNBC's new online course, How To Talk To People At Work
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/04/how-to-figure-out-which-stoc…
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Claim 8: “Divergent questions have a wider range of possible answers”
CORROBORATED
Wikipedia and other educational sources confirm that divergent questions are open-ended and allow for a wide range of possible answers.
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web search NEUTRAL — A divergent question is a question with no specific answer, but rather exercises one's ability to think broadly about a certain topic.Such questions often require students to analyze, synthesize, or e…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Divergent_question
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web search NEUTRAL — CONVERGENT and DIVERGENT QUESTIONS were first proposed by JP Guilford in the 1950s. Convergent questions encourage students to bring together ideas and knowledge from two or more fields and synthesise…
https://jonathansandling.com/convergent-and-divergent-questi…
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web search NEUTRAL — In contrast, divergent questions, also known as open questions, elicit a wide range of responses that often require substantive elaboration. Divergent questions do not have a single “best” response.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3776909/
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Claim 9: “These are called convergent questions.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple educational and professional sources define convergent questions as those seeking a single correct or limited range of answers.
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web search NEUTRAL — 2. Convergent Questions. Definition: Convergent questions have a single correct answer or a limited range of acceptable answers. They often require students to apply knowledge and reasoning to arrive …
https://cdltr.uohyd.ac.in/blog/understanding-different-types…
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web search NEUTRAL — Convergent and Divergent Questioning {Examples} Convergent Questioning Convergent Vs. Divergent Divergent: Who is your favorite teacher? What do you predict will happen? Where do you like to study? Co…
https://prezi.com/cyppnvz9hnkj/convergent-and-divergent-ques…
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web search NEUTRAL — Convergent questions: seek a single right answer. Closed questions like “What is the distance between San Franciso and Los Angeles?”. Divergent questions, invite several answers like “How might we des…
https://medium.com/arionkoder/help-the-machines-am-i-asking-…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.