Creativity, Personality Approach
Individual Perspective of Creativity: Personality Psychology
Which are the personality traits of the creative individual, the attributes of genius and the peculiarities of the creative personality? Psychological theories have tried to explain both the creative process and the creative individual.
In late fifties and early sixties, several researchers leaded by J.P Guilford, started to pay special attention to the specific components that shapes creativity in individuals, far from relating it as an intelligence by-product, as it was the mainstream psychologists thinking during the first half of 20th century, especially among behavior doctrines. This suddenly interest, came from the need of the United States of America to find and promote talent in their human capital in order to avoid the age of conformity that their nation was dooming to (Sawyer, 2006). Other social and political implications are glimpsed: USA, as self-called nation of freedom, needed to face Soviet Union progresses in the space race during the cold war when soviets first put into orbit the Sputnik (1957). Science and technical innovations were needed, not just to move forward in their arm wrestle with USSR but to continue growing as a powerful economic exporting nation, and creativity was the key factor to boost them. Therefore, since creativity flourished better in free breeding grounds, free world leader should head creative innovations. This binomial creativity-scientific innovation has been a great concern for the USA since then.
As we can assume from that point, substantial funds started to arrive to psychologist institutions in order to finance research programs as Sawyer (2006, p.41) explains “funding research to identify creative talent in early life, to educate for creativity and to design more creative workplaces”.
During that time, creativity was thought to be strong correlated with intelligence as the adult creative people (artists, scientists, and writers) got pretty high
Which are the personality traits of the creative individual, the attributes of genius and the peculiarities of the creative personality? Psychological theories have tried to explain both the creative process and the creative individual.
In late fifties and early sixties, several researchers leaded by J.P Guilford, started to pay special attention to the specific components that shapes creativity in individuals, far from relating it as an intelligence by-product, as it was the mainstream psychologists thinking during the first half of 20th century, especially among behavior doctrines. This suddenly interest, came from the need of the United States of America to find and promote talent in their human capital in order to avoid the age of conformity that their nation was dooming to (Sawyer, 2006). Other social and political implications are glimpsed: USA, as self-called nation of freedom, needed to face Soviet Union progresses in the space race during the cold war when soviets first put into orbit the Sputnik (1957). Science and technical innovations were needed, not just to move forward in their arm wrestle with USSR but to continue growing as a powerful economic exporting nation, and creativity was the key factor to boost them. Therefore, since creativity flourished better in free breeding grounds, free world leader should head creative innovations. This binomial creativity-scientific innovation has been a great concern for the USA since then.
As we can assume from that point, substantial funds started to arrive to psychologist institutions in order to finance research programs as Sawyer (2006, p.41) explains “funding research to identify creative talent in early life, to educate for creativity and to design more creative workplaces”.
During that time, creativity was thought to be strong correlated with intelligence as the adult creative people (artists, scientists, and writers) got pretty high
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