This paper is an attempt to clarify the ambiguity surrounding the issue of adult creativeness. The significance and the limitations of the Genetic Epistemological paradigm in the conceptualization of adult inventiveness are discussed. A framework is suggested that provides an alternative for the study of adult creativeness from a cognitive-structural orientation, reconciling traditional developmental theory with a nontraditional approach to the definition and study of inventiveness. The paper also examines hypothesized post-formal thought structures and their relevance to the understanding of adult creativity. A study is reported that was undertaken to investigate the possibility that the problem-finding stage of cognitive development is inseparable from creativity. Data are shown that imply that problem finding is a critical component in the creative process. (YLB)