This paper presents a series of propositions concerning processes that are at work in mentoring relationships, with each proposition accompanied by a brief discussion of the theory and research on which it is based. Examples are provided of the role of mentoring in the development of creative individuals. The propositions cover the following parameters: (1) the human capacity to form strong attachments; (2) the unique higher-order psychological functions originating in social interaction in the context of goal-directed daily activities; (3) the activity settings of everyday life that create interaction opportunities for children/novices/proteges; (4) the type of developmentally sensitive interactions in which assistance is provided that permits learners/proteges to perform at higher levels than they are capable of alone; (5) face-to-face collaborative interactions; and (6) the importance of speech and other signs and symbols that work to create intersubjectivity among participants transmitting meaning, values, affect, motivation, and culture. Further sections discuss mentoring as enculturation through which cultural inheritance is passed on in mentoring. An accompanying section describes mentoring processes in creative apprenticeships, including the sociocultural processes in creative mentorships noting that in collaborative activities, particularly in the zone of proximal development, higher psychological functions emerge and the protege experiences transformation of his own structuring of thought. Sixty-nine references are included. (JB)