This article provides a critical review of the literature on delinquency and creativity, focusing on (1) the definition of creativity and its relation to the concepts of “constraint” and “free-will,” (2) the relationship between creativity and delinquency, and (3) the factors that determine whether creativity is exercised in a positive or negative way. While this literature contains many gaps, it is important because it challenges the positivist explanations of delinquency that currently dominate the field. Such explanations argue that adolescents are constrained to engage in delinquency by biological, psychological, and—most commonly—social forces. The creativity literature, however, suggests that the emphasis on constraint may be overstated and that delinquency may best be viewed as a creative enterprise for many adolescents.
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